


Everything I Wanted

by tu_es_amatum



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Bisexual Kara Danvers, Bisexual Lena Luthor, F/F, F/M, Gen, Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor in Love, Lena Luthor Has a Crush on Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, M/M, Multi, Other, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, SuperCorp, Supergirl (TV 2015) Season 5
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:21:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 115,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26583556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tu_es_amatum/pseuds/tu_es_amatum
Summary: After Lena and Kara shake hands and make peace, they try to find a way to save their "friendship" and work together to catch Lex Luthor once and for all. (Post Season 5 finale)
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers, Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers & William Dey, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers
Comments: 98
Kudos: 176





	1. Sacrifice

** Kara’s POV  **

“I wasn’t ready to accept your apology,” I said while trying to maintain a serious face. “But maybe...Maybe, I am now.” But I couldn’t help myself, and I cracked a smile, and she looked relieved, listening to my words. Her beautiful green eyes were red and glossy, and her lips curved a bit. She tried to suppress and hide her emotions because that’s what she always tried to do, but I could see through that shield. Even though she shut me out sometimes. 

“Okay.” Lena sighed deeply and half-smiled. Her lip trembled to hold her tears back. “What now?” The way she said it was so cute that I couldn’t stop smiling at her. It was full of expectations. Hoping that I would agree to be friends again and plan our next move together.

”Well, there’s still one bad guy left to catch,” I said determinedly. 

“Let’s go take my brother down.” She replied, extending her arm towards me, and we shared a firm handshake, locking our eyes on each other. Her lips curved into a smile, but I was so carried away that forgot to reciprocate. Every time I looked at her eyes in a short distance, I could notice a new shade that I hadn’t before. It was remarkable how easily I got distracted by this woman. And because of that, I understood how people could get lost in a forest. _ Ew, that was sappy Kara, even for you.  _

We stayed like that staring at each other profoundly, for more time than we should, because I heard Kelly dry cough to draw our attention. We simultaneously turned our heads to her, breaking the handshake. Lena looked as puzzled as I did. For some reason, my stomach felt tight, like I had swallowed rocks. Under other circumstances, I’d blame the excessive amounts of dumplings, but I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I didn’t even have time for this actually and oh Rao, I was starving to death.

“Am I free to go?” Eve asked, focusing her gaze on Lena and then me. She had those broad pleading blue eyes that made it difficult to say no. Eve might have betrayed us in the old world but did it for her family after all. She had no other choice than obey to Leviathan and now was finally happy and safe with her mother, so who was I to deprive this of her.

“Yes,” Lena said, but I could see her internal struggle. Eve betrayed her trust, and forgiving was her most significant challenge. I knew a part of her was still afraid that Eve would hurt her again, but I would never let this happen. Even when Lena worked with Lex, I wouldn’t hesitate a minute to protect her if she was in danger.

“Yes you are free, but keep in mind that in case you decide to work with Lex, or try to harm any of my friends, I will be there to stop you.” I threatened, and Eve shook her head multiple times as an indication of understanding.

“Never again. I swear I did it only to protect my family.”

“Okay, I believe you. You can go.”

“Thank you.” She said, and I just nodded in response. Then walked away with a massive grin on her face, embraced with her mom. 

“Okay, guys I think we had enough for today,” Kelly said, reminding me of her presence.

“But Lex is still out there, planning who knows what,” Lena answered worriedly raising her perfect eyebrows.

“Yeah but Kelly is right. There’s nothing we can do. We have no clue about his location so we should call it a night.” I responded, and Lena just nodded, looking troubled at the floor. “Hey, we will find him!” I reassured her, but she just forced a tiny smile. I hated it that she couldn’t feel safe. She knew her brother was dangerous, and he knew that she killed him in the old world. There was a big chance he craved for revenge, now that she wasn’t on his side anymore. Suddenly, Kelly’s phone rang and when she picked it up, I heard my sister’s high pitched voice with my super hearing.

“Kelly, it’s Brainy! You need to tell Kara, Nia had these dreams about him, but she ignored it at first because she didn’t want to think about him and thought it just was her subconscious because they broke up, but it turns out that Brainy stopped the Leviathan, but he is in danger. She says he’s dying and...” Alex was almost screaming.

“Babe, slow down, what do you mean he’s in danger?” Kelly said, trying to calm her down.

“Just tell Kara to come here now!” Alex screeched. 

“I’m on my way,” I said before Kelly could turn around to me to inform me.

“What’s going on?” Lena asked worriedly.

“Brainy is in danger,” Kelly answered.

“I’m coming with you, he’s my friend too.” She said, but I blocked her way before she had time to take a step forward.

“It’s not safe.” Her eyebrows furrowed and I saw the hurt on her face, which lasted only for a second because then she wore back the blank, emotionless mask. I didn’t mean to hurt her or make her feel inadequate, but I couldn’t risk losing her.

When I found my friends on the levelled street, between the destroyed trucks, Nia was on her knees, crying, while Alex consoled her.

“What happened to Brainy?” I asked and approached Nia to envelop her in my arms tightly. She wouldn’t stop crying, and it broke my heart. Although we were friends for only a year, I felt a deep connection with her, like she was my young sister. She rested her head on the crook of my neck and sobbed as her arms tightened around my back.

“Nia had these visions about Brainy, and now he’s in danger, and we don’t know where he is,” Alex said.

“I didn’t want to think of him, and now he’s in trouble because of me.” Nia choked and hid her face in my body.

“Nia it’s not your fault, and if you saw that he is in danger, it means we still have time to save him.” 

“I could have stopped this, Kara. What’s the point of predicting the future and not saving the people I love?” I had to fix this. Not just for Nia but for Brainy too. Even though he wasn’t much of help lately, he would forever be part of the team. He was our friend.

“Nia please calm down and tell me what exactly you saw. Is there any clue that will help us to find him?” 

“I don’t know. He was standing in front of something that looked like a control panel, holding a glowing bottle, like the one of Brainy’s double trapped his earth. Then I saw him falling on the floor, and he was sweating, and I know something’s wrong...” Nia’s voice broke and choked in tears.

“Okay, we need to find him!” I said.

“No way, you’re a genius!” My sister said, and I was reminded for once again how much I hated her sarcasm, mainly when she used it during the most inappropriate times.

“Kara wait! I also saw that he was working with Lex.” Nia added.

“What? Are you sure?” J’onn asked as he tried to process it. It was hard for me to believe it either, but thinking of his recent behaviour, it all made sense. I suspected he was working on something secretly, but I never imagined it would include Lex Luthor. We were his friends, but instead, he decided to trust my worst enemy. It didn’t feel right, and it kind of hurt. However, I put aside my feelings because all it mattered now, was saving him.

“Guys, Brainy just shared his location,” Alex said with her eyes on her phone screen. I got closer to check the location.

“Go,” Alex said.

“I’ll bring him to the Tower.” And with that, I pushed my feet on the ground and flew away.

The elevator’s doors opened, and my eyes immediately fell on the wooden bar. I had no idea why Brainy was in a secret bar below the casino, but when I turned right, I saw it wasn’t just a bar. The inner chamber was very similar to Krypton’s ships. As I walked closer, I saw Brainy laying on the ground almost passed out. I ran to help him, but a strong pang in my head stopped me.

“Kara, don’t,” Brainy whispered, too weak to speak properly. Some green fluid coursed down the corner of his mouth that I hadn’t seen before, meaning he was worse than ever. “Kara, it’s their spaceship defence. Just leave, it will kill y...” Before he could finish the sentence, he passed out.

I tried to get closer, but the pain was unbearable and made my knees too weak to move forward or even stand, so I fell on the ground. However, that didn’t stop me and using all my power, I crawled to him. I tried to avoid the feeling of someone smashing my head, I wasn’t ready to give up. 

“Please stay with me.”

“Oh my god,” Nia shrieked when she saw him lying unconscious on the table I laid him on. “Brainy, can you hear me? Please don’t leave me. I’m so sorry.” But he didn’t respond. “Please, we have to do something!” She screamed at me, her face wet from the tears and red from the pressure.

“I don’t want to be the negative one, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do to fix him. I mean he’s from the future. Even if we have made some progress, we don’t even know what’s wrong to fix.” Alex said. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, she was right. No technology of this century was enough to fix him. 

“No, please, there must be something. There’s always something. We always help, and we never give up. And now that Brainy needs us we give up on him? We can’t! There must be something!” Nia screamed. We all stayed quiet. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to help. We would do anything to save him, we just didn’t know-how.

“Actually there is but you’re not gonna like it,” J’onn said. Alex’s eyes widened like she was in J’onn’s mind. Although J’onn and I were close too, he and my sister shared an extraordinary bond. Sometimes I wondered if Alex’s attachment to J’onn was that deep because she missed Jeremiah.

“But you gave your spaceship to your brother,” Alex said, and then I understood that they wanted to travel to the future.

“Even if we had a spaceship he’s not in a position to travel by himself. Someone would have to go with him.” I said. 

“I will.” Nia took a step forward determinedly.

“Are you sure about this Nia?” J’onn asked.

“Yes, of course, I am. I will do anything to save him.”

“So we only need a ship,” J’onn said. 

“Like it’s the easiest thing in the world to find one,” Alex whispered mostly to herself. Everyone fell silent, thinking of a solution, and I got the chance to process everything.  _ Why did he have to work with Lex? We could have cooperated and found a better solution than sacrificing himself. And where was Lex now? Nia said he was holding a bottle so Brainy probably trapped the Leviathan there, but I found no bottle in the ship. _ My head was still throbbing, and since I wasn’t accustomed to headache, it felt horrible. I couldn’t suffer from migraines, and I assumed it was a side effect of the Leviathan ship’s defence.  _ Wait. That it! Why it took you so long to think about it, Kara?  _

“Guys, the place I found Brainy, I’m pretty sure it’s Leviathan’s ship. It might be ancient, but the technology looked much similar to Krypton’s. I think we can make it fly again.” 

“Oh my God Kara, yes!” Nia cheered.

“But we need to find a way to overpass the security. When I entered it, the defences were alerted and attacked to me with some psychic wave. That’s probably the reason Brainy got hurt. He was exposed there for too long. We need to find a way to overpass the ship’s firewall to gain access and shut down the defences.” 

“So let me get this straight. You want to hack the system of Leviathan’s ancient ship, so that Nia and Brainy can time travel to 31st century, fix him and then come back?” J’onn narrowed his eyes on me. 

“Uh, yes?!”

“Okay, let’s do this.” He said, nodding positively.

“And who’s going to hack the ship?” Nia asked. 

“The same person that was able to hack the fortress of solitude,” Alex said. 

“I’m on it.” I sighed.

It was past 3 a.m. now, a totally inappropriate time, but we had no other choice, and she was the only one that could help, so there I was, standing on the balcony of the one and only Lena Luthor, wearing my suit. The same Lena I cut off when she offered to help some hours ago. Life was full of ironies, and karma was a bitch. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, but it was suspiciously quiet. The lights were off too, and I wished she wasn’t asleep. I walked cautiously to her bedroom, but before I could get there, I heard the familiar sound of the cock of pistol behind my back. I was used to this sound since my life was surrounded by criminals. Moreover, Alex always used to carry her alter ego with her during DEO’s times.

I raised my hands in the air and turned around slowly, but only because I didn’t want to scare her.  _ Come on. Seriously Lena? A simple gun? Where’s the kryptonite? Okay, I shouldn’t have made this thought.  _ When I turned to face her, my blood rush caused a burning sensation on my cheeks. Lena was aiming at me with a revolver, keeping her chin up in a firm body posture screaming “I got you”, but when my eyes travelled lower, I noticed she was only with a towel wrapped around her body. Her hair was still wet, and water drops coursed down her bare shoulders, indicating she had just stepped out of the shower. I stepped out of the shadows, and she immediately dropped the gun. 

“Kara, what are you doing here?” She asked, arching her eyebrows. Her grip tightened around the towel, feeling uncomfortable. 

“Lena, I’m so sorry for bothering you at this time, coming unannounced, but I need your help, and we don’t have much time.” She immediately kinked her left eyebrow, and without saying anything, she walked to her wardrobe in the bedroom to hide the revolver in a cache. 

“Don’t worry, I have a license for this.” She said, with a hint of sarcasm. When she bent over to put the password, I had to look somewhere else because the towel was somewhat short. Not short enough for a peccant revealing, but sufficient to expose parts of her skin that I had never seen before. Not that it was so disturbing that I couldn’t stare, on the contrary. It was just that we didn’t belong in that category of friends that would undress in front of each other freely and feel completely comfortable. “You said we don’t have much time. What’s going on?” She turned around, crossing her arms in front of her chest. One of the first things I got taught as a reporter, was to study people’s body language while interviewing them. And Lena’s crossed arms showed how uncomfortable she felt. Although she hid it very well, for some reason, she felt like she had to defend herself from me. However, I tried to ignore it and just gave her a summary of the situation without missing the crucial details. 

“So you want me to hack an alien’s ship, that is positioned here since dinosaurs walked on this planet. You must really believe in my abilities.” She huffed.

“Of course, I believe in you. If there’s anyone that can do it, it’s you. You are a genius, Lena. How could I not believe in you? And I’m so sorry for asking you something like that, at this time, but trust me I wouldn’t come here to bother you unless it was essential. Brainy doesn’t have much time left. And I am sorry about before too. But I can’t put you at risk, that’s exactly what I have been avoiding all these years. I just can’t lose you. I’m sorry, Lena.” Her eyes were glossy now and knowing Lena, I’d say she looked at me with such an amount of love that no one had stared at me like that before.

“There’s no need to apologise, I understand now why you did everything. Brainiac is my friend too, of course, I’ll help you. I know I’ve done my very best to betray you, and we need to talk about it after all of this. Anyway, I’ll try to create a device here in my lab, but I need a sample of the technology they use to know with what I’m dealing with.” 

“You can have Kryptonian technology as a sample. The code’s language is the same as the fortress of solitude.”

“Then let’s go to the L-Corp.”

“Kara, I love you. You are the best friend I ever had.” Lena said with her annoyingly perfect grin. Even the little dimples formed on her cheeks. She wore a white chicky white dress, that even though it was opposed to her style, still looked breathtaking. She pulled me closer to her, and I lost my balance, but she caught me before I landed on the ground and giggled. Seeing her genuinely happy triggered something in my heart. I wanted to hug her and smell her expensive perfume mixed with her body scent because Rao knows how much I had missed that smell. I got closer to her, our bodies were pressed against each other’s, and when I was about to hug her, my stupid brain woke up and then I knew it was just a dream. I tried to force my thoughts back on it, in an attempt to go back to sleep but a burning smell of plastic forced me to give up. Opening my eyes, I saw Lena sitting on a chair, focused on her work, holding a welding tweezer to agglutinate some cables. I sat up and rubbed my temple, now realising that we were still in her lab and I fell asleep with my suit, that had started feeling kinda itchy.

“Good morning.” She said with her eyes stuck on a small plastic object looking like a diskette but full of tiny cables on its surface. 

“Morning?” I shrieked, feeling all of the colour of my cheeks abandoning me, by thinking that while Brainy was dying, I was sleeping.

“Yeah, that’s what people say at 7 a.m.” She chuckled.

“For real?” I didn’t even remember getting asleep.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to wake you up. You needed to rest. Besides, you looked too endearing.” Her compliment made the colour return on my cheeks. I looked at the ground, trying to avoid her face from the embarrassment. Because Lena Luthor complimenting me? She was so perfect, and I was so... Well... I was me! When I was Supergirl, I’d never blush or show any sign of frailty even to my sister. I was becoming Supergirl, the hero people admired and needed in their lives. Only as Kara Danvers, I allowed myself to blush or show any weaknesses. But now somehow with Lena, I was both Kara and Supergirl at the same time, and it scared me a lot. “You woke up just on time. I’m done with the device.” I walked closer to check it. She covered it with a crystal case, having only a tiny slit to its bottom. “Insert it on the commanding panel and press the start button twice. The system will restart and get adjusted according to your commands.” She said and passed me the device. 

“Thank you, Lena. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

“No need to thank me, I still owe you after all.” I turned to protest, but she cut me off. “You need to save Brainiac. Leave this talk for later.” So I just nodded and smiled. I was about to zoom to the Tower, but her voice stopped me again. “Oh, by the way, what did you dream of? You called my name twice.” She asked with an arched brow full of curiosity, and I thought I’d get a stroke instantly if it was possible.

“I, uh, don’t remember.” I smiled and left like I was chased by demons. Like the devil was Lena, and her lab was the hell I was running from.

I stood before the entrance of the inner chamber, trying to find the courage to walk in. Everyone’s hopes were on me, and sometimes the burden was too much. I was doing my best to not let anyone down, and when I did, I was more hurt than them. But I wasn’t a god, although some people thought differently. Sometimes I had to mentally push myself a lot to get through some situations. Like this one now. Two minutes had passed already, and I was losing time. Brainy was about to die because he sacrificed for us. For me. For my friends. For the world. I took a deep breath, stepping inside, and the defences were enabled immediately. It hurt even more than kryptonite if that was possible. I thought my brain would explode, but I didn’t stop. I walked with difficulty to the control panel, and when I was about to insert the device, I lost my balance and fell on my knees. But I didn’t let it stop me. I grabbed the desk, and with all my force, I tried to push myself up. When I did it, I followed Lena’s instructions, rebooting the system and finally, the throb in my head stopped.

“Alex, we did it. Bring Brainy and Nia here.” I said, pushing the button to enable the earbud.

“On our way.” 

“Thank you, Lena.” I sighed.

“We’re here,” Alex said out of breath. 

“Bring him to the ship.” Since there was no seat or bed, J’onn laid Brainiac on the floor. “Guys, you need to go and check if there’s anyone in the casino. It’s very early, but there might be still someone from the staff inside.” They just nodded and left. The ship was right below the casino, and when it would take off, it would ruin the entire place. “Nia, come here, I need to show you how to command this ship.” 

I showed Nia everything I knew about managing a starship. It wasn’t the same to what I was used to, and I wasn’t a pro, but I was sure they could make it safely. 

“Thank you, Kara, thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me, for letting me be part of all of this. I’ll never forget you, you’re an amazing friend and everyone’s around you is lucky to have you. Thanks for letting me be one of those people.” Nia said tearfully, and I felt my tears sliding down too. She was saying goodbye, but I was convinced after she healed Brainy, she would return.

“Why are you talking like this is the last time we see each other? You will fix Brainy, and then you will come back. Okay?”

“Okay.” She said and pulled me in a tight hug. We stayed like that for some seconds, but we immediately pulled off from each other, when Brainy started coughing. He was still unconscious, and the green fluid ran down his chin.

“Go now,” I said and walked out of there. “Alex is everyone out?” 

“Yes.” I heard Alex’s voice through the earbud. Then I gestured to Nia, and she turned on the engines like I showed her. She smiled at me and then the doors closed. The ship raised from the ground slowly ruining the ceiling and a big part of the casino too.

“I’ll miss you guys.” I hoped that it wasn’t the last time I saw Nia and Brainy.


	2. Second chances

** Lena’s POV  **

An entire week passed, and still, there was no evidence of Lex’s existence which was terrible news because knowing my brother, it meant that he was up to something. His strategy was to let us calm down for a while to forget about him and then he would strike when we’d least expect it. But I wouldn’t let this happen. Nothing else mattered to me, I was wholly concentrated on finding him. Even though, sometimes my stupid brain would think about Kara and disorientate me completely. An entire week had passed and still no sign of her. In the old world, we would see each other every day, lunching together on our breaks, or watch her favourite shows at nights or play games and even when we didn’t have time to meet, we would call each other before bedtime to catch up. Only when Mon-El left this daily contact stopped, and it made me miss her a lot. Back then, I knew she was grieving, and I tried to give her the space she needed. But now even though we were on good terms, there was a significant distance between us. And I wasn’t sure if it was possible to build a bridge to restore it or if this was the end of our friendship. I didn’t want it to be. I wanted to try. Because I attempted to forget her, to erase her from my life but I couldn’t do it. I loved her too much, and my emotions for her were so deep, that made me see the dark path I followed. I’ve never had a friend like her, like ever. And I knew that her intentions were pure hiding her identity, but she hurt me, and I wasn’t sure how could I just forget that and move on. Maybe ignoring everything and pretending nothing ever happened could work. Perhaps not, but I had to try it. For three days now, I had been working unstoppably keeping my mind busy, but now I had finished all my obligations, and I was bored. I missed working in CatCo, and this fact had nothing to do with Kara. Selling it to Andrea was a mistake. It triggered my curiosity, now that she knew about her powers how she would use them. Would she join Supergirl’s squad maybe? I couldn’t imagine it, Kara and Andrea, fighting crime together. They were so different, their morality, their attitude, everything. Perhaps she would use her power to steal. Obsidian was destroyed after Supergirl’s speech, no one wanted to use the lenses anymore. Only CatCo was left, and maybe now it was the right time to convince her to sell it back to me. I grabbed my bag quickly and stormed out of the office, telling Jess to take the rest of the day off.

** No one’s POV  **

Three days had passed since Nia’s, and Brainiac’s departure and everything were peaceful. So peaceful that it bothered everyone. They thought it was the calm before the storm. Kara was on patrol every day, except for the hours she spent practising journalism. Then Alex or J’onn would replace her. After Obsidian’s failure, Andrea had focused entirely on CatCo, making Kara’s life miserable. She sold the offices Obsidian occupied in the building, to be able to pay the compensations of her former workers and keep CatCo at the same time. Thinking like a businesswoman, she only cared about making more money. Especially now, that her needs for earnings were more significant than ever. As a result, she focused on women readers since they were most of the buyers and the magazine became more about gossip than actual informative articles. While the magazine gained an audience, it lost lots of readers at the same time, readers that disapproved the new CatCo’s identity and called it a complete rag.

On the other hand, when Lena owned CatCo, her interventions were only a few, knowing it wasn’t just business, but was about informing people with quality articles. This was one of the many reasons Kara missed her leadership. She also missed her as a friend but was afraid to call or invite her to the game nights. Scared of the consequences in their friendship, of becoming too pushy, Kara had decided to give her some time alone. 

When she saw her in her workplace walking past the offices with that superiority air her friend possessed, Kara felt her cheeks burning, and her heartbeat sped up in an uncontrollable rhythm, making her lightheaded. Lena didn’t seem to notice her due to the fact she didn’t even bother to look around. Her eyes were focused on Andrea’s office on purpose. Lena knew her friend was there, maybe even watching her, but she avoided her as the devil runs from incense.

“Kara, are you there?” William’s thick voice made Kara focus back on him. Noticing now for the first time since he walked to her office.

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry I got distracted.” She fixed her glasses on him. Her frown betrayed her annoyance towards him for interrupting her thoughts, but he didn’t seem to notice it.

“Yeah, I saw that. Isn’t that, your friend?” He asked as he pointed Lena with his index finger, and Kara thanked mentally that Lena hadn’t looked around her; otherwise, she would see them talking together and pointing at her.  _ What a shameful image it would be. _

“Yeah, she is,” Kara answered, still shaken. 

“You won’t go to talk to her?” Even though she and William were close, it bothered her sticking his nose in her relationship with Lena.

“She...eh... She looks busy now. How’s your arm?” She asked out of sudden in an attempt to change the subject which, to her own luck, succeeded.

“It hurts, to be honest, and I’m still not in a position to write articles. But Andrea will hire a personal assistant for me. Anyway, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“You completely zoned out, didn’t you? I asked you if you would like to have dinner with me tonight. Because, uh, you know, the last time I think we both had fun and maybe we could do this again?” Kara agreed automatically without really thinking about it. Another date with William wouldn’t hurt her, after all, she liked him. She thought of him as a kind person, and his gentle manners towards her worked in his favour.

“Great, so I’ll see you tonight.” He said with a grin before walking away.

“Yeah, see you.” Kara pressed her lips in a forced smile. Then she sat in her office, trying to look busy and with her super hearing, she focused on Lena’s and Andrea’s conversation.

“And what makes you think I would do that?”

“Obsidian Platinum has bankrupted, and you need money to... support your expensive taste. After all, you bought the CatCo magazine to advertise your product.”

“Trust me, Lena, I am financially stable, not that this is any of your concern. I’m so good actually that I am thinking of making CatCo my legacy.” Even though Kara couldn’t see Lena’s face, she knew it remained without any form of sentimental expression. But her quickened heartbeat meant she was aggravated.

“How so?”

“I didn’t know I am so good in the administration of magazines, but since you offered me the chance... I’ll always be grateful for that to you, darling.” Andrea’s sarcasm annoyed not only Lena but Kara too. Because Andrea knew Lena regretted her decision to sell CatCo and now that she wanted it back, she rubbed it in her face. Kara had gotten the impression that they were still friends after seeing them sharing that hug in Lena’s lab. But now they seemed rather enemies than friends. 

Lena didn’t push it any more. She knew that Andrea was too stubborn and wouldn’t convince her just with a speech. Thinking as a Luthor, she could sabotage CatCo to force her to quit. But Lena was better than that. So she stood up, and as was about to leave, Andrea’s voice stopped her.

“I have a question for you.” Lena didn’t turn around, just waited for the question. “Back in your lab, how did you know it was me? I was wearing a mask.”

“In the previous world, you were a pain in the ass because the Leviathans controlled you. You wore the same suit. And now that you mentioned it, if you try to hurt Supergirl again, you can be sure that your face will be on the first page of every newspaper and magazine exists.” Lena took a pause and then continued. “And I’ll end you.” She added, at last, making Kara form a grin with her lips.

“Don’t worry, even if I wanted to, I can’t. My powers were gone when Leviathans were gone too.” Lena supported Supergirl and even threatened Andrea.  _ “I killed my brother for you.”  _ Lena’s words consumed her mind. She had already helped Supergirl a bazillion times and even killed and imprisoned her family for her. 

The guiltiness Kara felt, forced her to stand and walk before Andrea’s office, waiting for her friend. When Lena pulled the door open, she stopped dead in her tracks, and her stunned face shifted quickly to happy with a smile that Kara wasn’t sure whether it was genuine. 

“Kara, hi!” She said and moved closer to give Kara a quick, with lack of warmth hug, their bodies barely touching.

“Lena, what are you doing here?” Kara shrieked like she had not just eavesdropped them or noticed her before.

“I... I needed to talk to Andrea about something important. You know, business.” 

“Yeah... I know. Not that I know any of this, you know I have no knowledge in business, but you know, I know.” Kara wanted to facepalm herself for being so awkward and stressed and not able to even put a straight line together.  _ Repeating the same words so many times, and you want to consider yourself a reporter!  _

“So how are you?” Lena asked with a restrained smile.

“I.. I.. I am.. uh... good. I am good. And you?”

“I am good too.” They both stared at each other in utterly uncomfortable silence, waiting for someone to say something, but the more they kept waiting, the more embarrassing the situation became. 

“Okay, so we will catch up sometime,” Lena said and took a step beside Kara as she was about to walk away first. 

“Yeah, sure. It was nice to see you.” Kara replied, forcing a smile.

“Bye,” Lena said, walking in a quick pace like being chased. Not very quick, though, since her black Louboutins made it hard for her. Kara went back to her office and sat down on her chair.

“Oh, my Rao,” Kara whispered as she rubbed her temple, thinking there was no worse than that. All she wanted was to have a proper conversation with her friend, but when her eyes met Lena’s face, she forgot how to breathe.  _ Why did that feel so uncomfortable? _

It was past 8 p.m., and Kara was still working, because the entire day was spent, struggling to find some way to concentrate. William walked to her office to ask her when she would finish her article, but she was still far from it. William offered to help so they wouldn’t miss their date, but Kara’s pride wouldn’t even consider it as an option. He persisted but seeing that his attempt was futile, he left with a sad puppy face. Kara felt sorry for him and asked him to reschedule. 

About 11 p.m. Kara finally finished the article. The cleaning staff was forced to almost kick her out to do their job. Kara was glad it was checked before getting published since she was unsure whether the lack of concentration showed on her work. While being still in the elevator, Alex informed her about some burglary in a jewellery store. When she got there, the criminals aimed at her with their guns.

“You don’t have to do this. You can surrender and show your regret in the court.” Kara shouted at them while resting her hands on her waist. But of course, they huffed and opened fire. When they saw that the bullets did not affect her, they got in a black van and drove on her with full speed. She didn’t move an inch, as the vehicle crashed on her, the engine got destroyed. Kara checked on them to make sure they were still breathing. Thankfully they had just passed out from the crash, as their heads bumped on some surface. The police’s sirens sounded from afar.

“That was too easy.” She said and flew away. While heading back at her apartment, she saw the L-Corp building and CEO’s office lights still on. It was almost midnight, but Lena was still working.  _ That woman and her workaholism...  _

Kara craved to talk to her but wasn’t sure whether Lena would appreciate a visit, especially at this time. Her ability to fly didn’t mean she could just show up in her balcony every time she wanted. But without even realising it Kara was already landing on the balcony. 

She walked inside, knocking the window first, but Lena didn’t move an inch. Kara stopped right in front of her desk, her friend still unaware of her appearance. She had her laptop on, but the screen was black. Her fancy pen tangled between her long slender fingers with her hand resting on the unsigned papers and her gaze on the glass of scotch on her desk, staring at it as her life depended on it. Kara always wondered why Lena’s fingernails were never painted, considering it was a must for most of the ladies of her status, but the way she bit her thumb’s nail told that the enamel wouldn’t last an hour. 

“Lena?” Kara tried, but she was too carried away. “Lena!” She shouted, and Lena flinched, touching her chest with her hand.

“Kara, how did you come here? I didn’t see you.” 

“Yeah, I thought so. You looked off. I’m sorry for coming this late and unannounced, but I wanted to talk to you.” 

“What happened?” Lena was back to Earth and seemed rather intrigued. She rested back on her chair, raising her chin slightly, waiting for Kara to speak. Now that was at home, she felt more comfortable, enough to pretend to be fully relaxed. Kara, who was on her feet, couldn’t help but observe the flawless face her friend possessed as well the intensity of her eyes, feeling completely naked under her gaze.

“I uh... I wanted to ask you before to go fo..for lunch tomorrow. If… If you want to, of course.” She kinked her eyebrow for a second, surprised for the invitation and then she smiled genuinely.

“Yes, of course, I’d love to.” Kara almost sighed in relief.

“Great! See you at Noonan’s then and please don’t order the kale again.” Lena chuckled in response feeling, only for a few seconds, relaxed, like before. Kara stared her smiling, realising how much she had missed this laugh. The sensation of a missing part due to Lena’s absence had suddenly disappeared. 

However, when the joke’s effect ended, Kara noticed her friend tensing up again. Lena just smiled at her and Kara began making her way to the balcony. 

“Good night Lena.”

“Have a good night Kara,” She responded, and Kara left. Lena rubbed her temple, annoyed with the situation. Their relationship felt unnatural, totally forced. They had worked together against the Leviathans, and they did well, but it made her wonder whether they should keep their relationship on a business level.  _ You should have declined. _ _ What did you think and said, yes?  _ She checked her expensive watch on the wrist and gasped at how quickly the time passed. Then packing her stuff hurriedly, she returned to her penthouse. 

Kara woke up an hour before the alarm clock. At first, she didn’t know what to do with all this extra time since she only needed five minutes to get ready and head to work. But then she thought of trying different outfits to keep her busy. Kara didn’t care much about what her appearance at work the other days, but meeting Lena today caused the need, to look presentable. 

After rejecting almost all of her options, she decided to go with a black sleeveless high neck top that showed off her toned arms and a tight black skirt with white patterns. She thought a high bun fitted perfectly with these clothes. Lastly, she added a bit of makeup and a natural shade pink lipstick. Subsequently checking herself for the last time in the mirror, to admire the result, crossed the door but stepped back inside realising there were thirty more minutes left. She instantly regretted using her speed to get dressed.

She finally arrived at work five minutes earlier because she couldn’t wait anymore in her flat, doing nothing. William was already on his desk, ordering his new assistant about her tasks, and Kara decided to go and greet him. When he saw her, his jaw almost dropped, earning a smile and a blush from Kara.

“What?” She asked shyly.

“You just...” He checked her out from top to bottom. “You look gorgeous. Any special occasion?”

“Not really, I woke up earlier and had nothing to do.” Kara shrugged. Some people would slap their faces at the too honest answer and would probably recommend her to become more playful and flirt more if she wanted to stand a chance with the guy. But Kara wasn’t into these games, at least not with any guy had met. She preferred being honest and open like a book, except for the alien part. Deep down, she hoped William wasn’t one of those masochists that picked mind games than actual honesty.

“You should wake up earlier every day then.” It didn’t sound much of a compliment in her ears, but Kara knew his intentions were pure, so she just thanked him and walked to the conference room.  _ It’s not that I look horrible the other days. Right? _

Andrea was a pain in the ass for once again. She knew Kara and Lena were friends and wanted to take advantage of their relationship, by assigning Kara to get an interview from Lena about how she felt about being the sister of one of the Earth’s saviour. When she heard her calling Lex a saviour, she felt like throwing up but had no other choice than to obey. People didn’t know the real Lex in this world, and Kara was persuaded to do anything to expose him. Despite her efforts to convince Andrea to assign the interview to someone else, her boss was uncompromising. Andrea even threatened her that if she didn’t write the article by the end of the week, she would have to fire her. This threat only added more stress to her. She hated Lex, he was her worst enemy. In the old world, she won a Pulitzer by exposing him. 

“Is everything okay?” William asked when he saw her pacing back and forth before her desk. 

“Yeah, everything is fine.” Kara smiled, but he wasn’t convinced.

“Are you sure? Because even if we haven’t known each other for long, I can tell something is bothering you.” Kara sighed and decided to open up but just enough to get off the hook. 

“Andrea wants me to write an article about Lex’s relationship with Lena, and I hate him, I know he’s up to something evil, and I know Lena feels the same about him, but if I don’t do it, I’ll get fired.” 

“Oh, come on Andrea can’t fire you, you are one of the best reporters in here.” She stared him with a sad expression, breathing in deeply. Maybe in another life, Kara was the best reporter. But after the antimatter wave, her article about Lex was never written, because in this world she and Lex, or rather Supergirl and Lex, worked together. But her value as a reporter didn’t depend on that prize, and she knew that. However, the others admitted her worth as a journalist more effortless, back in the old world. As for Andrea, this woman had no knowledge about journalism, which convinced Kara that she wouldn’t hesitate a bit to fire her. William noticed the agony on her face and tried to calm her down. “I know you think of Andrea as some kind of monster, but she doesn’t ruin people’s lives so easily.” 

“You are fired.” They listened to her shout to an employee, and everyone turned their face to her office. The girl, from the fashion department, was crying right in front of her and then opened the glass door and ran away. 

“You were saying?” Kara asked William sarcastically. 

After having an exhausting day, Kara took a seat on an outdoor table at Noonan’s. It had been raining for two weeks, but now the weather was sweet and pleasant. She ordered some organic drink she spotted on the menu, a new addition while waiting for her friend. Ten minutes had passed, and nervousness overtook her, unsure whether Lena would show up. Some people of the tables around pitifully looked at her making her feel uncomfortable too.  _ Why was it so wrong for someone to enjoy their drink just by themselves?  _

“Kara, I’m so sorry something came up at work. I should have informed you. I’m very sorry.” Lena’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She was out of breath because of running. Kara wondered how she could run on those high heels. It was undoubtedly a superpower only Lena, and a few skilled women possessed.

“Lena it’s okay there’s no need to apologise.”

“No, Kara, it’s not okay. I left you here waiting all alone, I’m so sorry.”

“Okay, let’s agree on something. From now on no more apologies, okay?” Lena sat on the chair opposite of hers while battling to control her breathing.

“Okay,” Lena answered with a charming smile, and Kara couldn’t avoid staring at the little dimples formed on her cheeks. When the waitress came with a notepad, they ordered their lunch and kept looking at each other’s face in uncomfortable silence. Lena though seemed more relaxed.

“Any news from Brainiac or Nia?” Lena asked out of sudden with genuine concern on her face.

“No, nothing.” Lena just nodded and dropped her eyes, to her fidgeting fingers. Another set of minutes passed under that deafening silence. Kara sighed and tried to find the courage to speak openly.

“Look Lena, I hate this tension between us. I want things to go back to what they used to be because I have missed you so much and I strongly believe that if we don’t talk about it, we will never become like before.” Lena looked at the wine in her hand like it was the most exciting thing in the world, twirling it a little before taking a generous sip.

“I want that too. But I don’t know if we can. You hurt me, Kara, you made me feel like an outsider while you were the most important person in my life.” Kara’s eyes instantly became glossy, holding her tears back.  _ Stop being such a crybaby you stupid! _

“I’m so sorry. I wish I could take the pain, I caused you away.”

“You said no more apologies from now on,” Lena said playfully and arched her eyebrow, trying to lighten the mood, because the more she saw her friend suffering, the guiltier she felt.

“Lena, I’m serious now!” Lena raised her hands in the air to show surrender and took another long sip of her red wine, emptying her glass. The waitress approached immediately and asked the permission to fill her glass which Lena promptly accepted. “I even tried with Mxyzptlk other dimensions to reveal my secret, I tried to find the perfect moment, but there wasn’t. Every time things went way worse than in this reality. So even though I’ve hurt you, I don’t regret my decision, Lena.”

“You did what?” She arched her eyebrows and brought the glass of wine to her dark red lips. “What is Mitzelsplik?” Kara tried to hold her laugh, knowing it wasn’t the right time for jokes.

“Mxyzptlk was an… Off guy from 5th dimension that pushed me to marry him a long time ago. Then I said his name backwards and sent him back to his dimension, but some weeks ago, he revisited me, after the crisis and offered his help, because he sought redemption for his actions. He knew I was hurt because of the situation between us, and he tried other dimensions to give me the chance to tell you the truth the right time. All of them ended up with either me, or you, or all of our friends getting killed. Even when I thought I found the perfect moment to tell you, at first when we met, and you started opening up to me. Even though after that our relationship upgraded and we worked together to save people, in the end, Ben Lockwood killed you and everyone I loved. In the end, I decided that I should have never met you and become friends, which was my worst nightmare. Mxyzptlk lost his powers in that world, so I had to live a bit longer than dimension.” Lena’s face was blank, trying to proceed all this new information. She drank the entire glass of wine in one gulp, and when the waitress came again to fill it, Lena asked her to leave the bottle on the table. Kara felt nervous under her attentive gaze. She wished to have the power to listen to Lena’s thoughts.

“What happened in that dimension?” Kara’s gaze lowered on her own hands that played nervously with the hem of her skirt.

“When Lex tried to have you assassinated, he failed, but you were seriously injured in the attack. Then you disappeared for two years, and when you came back, you were Metallo. Lillian took you to Cadmus labs, and instead of fixing you, she put kryptonite in your chest. Except that you were also… Driven mad by the loneliness and the hurt you suffered these years. You killed Lex, but you also took with you half of the National City citizens. After that, you ruled what was left of this city. You chased my friends and me too, you captured Brainiac and turned him to an emotionless machine. You created police robots by capturing 5th’s dimension energy, which was the reason why Mxyzptlk couldn’t use his powers and send us back.” Kara took a small pause when she saw Lena filling her glass again. She wanted to intervene and grab the bottle out of her hands, but an inner voice told her to better stay quiet.

“Please go on,” Lena said with a deep hoarse voice. Kara was already regretting opening this topic, but now it was too late.

“I went to talk to you and tried to convince you, but you didn’t know me personally. You hated me and how couldn’t you. You blamed me for not saving you when Lex tried to blow your helicopter, and you had every right to do so because I wasn’t there to save you. Because I was probably busy with something else since I am not a god. I can’t be everywhere and save everyone even though I wish I could. As we didn’t know each other, I failed to protect you. Even though I knew my actions were unforgiven in that dimension, I tried to convince you that we could work together, but it was too late to change your mind. You were driven by hate and paranoia. Then you tried to kill me. You almost did actually with the kryptonite in your chest, but before the beam hit me, Mxyzptlk teleported us back to this dimension.” Lena was silent and swiped away some tears that escaped her eyes. She averted her gaze away from her friend and stared at the people walking on the street. Kara waited for some response, but all she heard was the city’s noise and the clink of glasses and plates in the restaurant.

“So without you, I become a monarch that kills half of the city to avenge my brother. I can’t blame you for keeping me on a short leash all this time.” She finally let out bitterly, with her eyes still glued on the busy street. Kara, on the other hand, was on the verge of panicking. She cursed herself mentally for not having predicted such reaction from Lena and letting her mouth speak freely without thinking first. All Kara wanted, the reason they were lunching together, was to explain how much she craved to fix their relationship. But instead, salt was rubbed into the wound.

“Lena, I never treated you like that. I’ve always considered you as a dear friend. My best friend. I never meant to hurt you or make you think I befriended you just to spy on you.” Lena’s broken gaze was back to Kara, shifting quickly from vulnerable to an aggressive.

“And yet you did.” She snapped bitterly, and Kara found it impossible to control her tears anymore. She leaned her head forward to hide her face from people’s eyes and sobbed silently while cursing herself for looking so weak before her friend. 

The way she sniffed and swiped her tears with the back of her hand broke Lena’s heart. She had already hurt Kara too much. Now she kept doing this as a result of her continuous suffering. “I’m sorry.” Lena tried, but it didn’t make Kara stop crying. 

“I never used you or spied you or tried to control you from the Luthor tendencies because you have nothing to do with the Luthors. That’s what I saw in you since the first time we met, and that’s why I love you so much. If you want to blame someone for that dimension, blame me, blame your brother, blame your mother. You were always good, but our mistakes had a great impact on you.” Kara said with a shaky voice, whipping her nose with a tissue. Lena sighed deeply, staring at her empty glass with the temptation to refill it, but she didn’t, knowing her tasks on the company were still unfinished. 

“Kara, I don’t know how to be your friend without hurting you. I’m still suffering from what you did, even though I know your intentions were pure. I want to make this up to you for all my terrible actions, but instead, I keep mentioning your mistakes to punish you, and I can’t let this toxic trait hurt you even more.” Kara just nodded and kept her head low with her lips pressed in a thin line. “But I can try to find some way. If you still want to, of course.” Kara’s eyes shinned immediately and now were full of life and joy. Lena’s heart flourished, witnessing her friend’s sad facial expression altering to full of hope and happiness. Kara wanted to circle the table and hug Lena tightly but was too afraid of crossing her line.

Moreover, it would attract much-unwanted attention. Gossip magazines already tried to find out more about Lena’s personal life, especially her love life after her break up with James. Watching them being hugged like that by the wrong people, could fire some utterly annoying rumours. 

“Thank you for this Lena. I swear you won’t regret this.” Kara chirped.

“Okay, if we want this to work, it would be better if we didn’t mention what happened in the past. But before we do that I got a question, I’d like you to answer.”

“Anything.”

“When Reign defeated you and was in a coma, I went to your apartment and talked to you about James because I was excit...”

“J’onn.” Kara cut her off with a silly fake grin on her lips. Lena sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. “I’m so sorry we didn’t mean to...” 

“I know. To be honest, I realised it when I witnessed him changing his form, pretending to be you to keep the Leviathans busy.” She said and forced her lips in a smile.

“Anything else you’d wish to know?” Kara asked.

“No, actually that’s all, I think.” 

“Then I have something to ask you too which I don’t like at all, but I have no other choice,” Kara rubbed the skin of her knuckles nervously. Lena’s brows furrowed, and her gaze fell on the empty glass of wine, battling again whether she should refill it or not. Her instinct said she would need it for what was coming, but her logic stopped her from doing so. 

“You got all my attention.” She said charmingly as she brought the glass of water on her lips.  _ Wise choice, Lena.  _

“Andrea assigned me to write an article for you. She wants me to get an interview about your feelings about being the sister of the Earth’s saviour.” Lena gave up and filled another glass of wine. She took a mouthful of the crimson coloured drink and waited for Kara to finish her speech. “I’m sorry for asking you something so painful, trust me I don’t even want to write that article, but Andrea threatened to fire me if I don’t have it by the end of the week.” 

“Come by my office when you got time,” Lena answered dryly as her grip on the glass tightened. The rage in her veins towards Andrea overwhelmed her. Even though people were unaware of her stormy relationship with Lex and the threat he was for this planet, she should have never taken advantage of their friendship. Sabotaging Andrea now seemed less inappropriate to her. 

“No, Lena you don’t have to do this I’m sure I can find some other solution.” 

“I’m not letting you get fired because of this, Kara. Trust me, I can pretend very well when I have to. You’ve seen me doing it. I manipulated you without even realising it.” Lena bragged and took another sip of her wine. If Kara didn’t know that the wine had gotten on her friend, she would feel hurt. 

“You said we should not mention the past again,”

“True. Let’s talk about something else.” 

The rest of their lunch went by peacefully. Lena drank lots of water, regretting the amount of wine she had consumed, knowing the painful headache that would follow. Kara, on the other hand, enjoyed every second with Lena’s company. After an hour passed, they asked the check since Lena had to head back to her office. 

“We will see each other soon,” Lena said, and Kara felt the need to invite her in the next game night to secure that they would see each other again soon. Lena denied at first, knowing she would have to deal with the angry and suspicious looks of her friends. Mostly her sister’s was sworn enemy of her. And Lena didn’t blame her, after everything she had done, it was a normal reaction. But Kara pushed her a lot and used all the manipulative tricks she could think of, even claiming that she felt lonely now that their group number was smaller after Brainy’s and Nia’s departure. Lena was practically forced to accept, but couldn’t go in a place full of enemies without any backup. 

“Kara, do you mind if I ask Sam to join us?” She asked carefully and sighed in relief when she saw Kara’s excitement.

“Of course you can. I’ve missed Sam and Ruby so much!”

“Perfect! Oh, and by the way, I hope you don’t mind that I told Sam about your secret. To be honest, it slipped my mouth when she called me, exactly after I found out about you. I was distraught and needed to tell someone.” Kara found it unable to hide the shock on her face. “But don’t worry, she won’t tell anyone.” 

“Okay,” Kara said plainly, trying to look untroubled by it, but fear overwhelmed her. Lena then smiled and excused herself.

“See you tonight.” She said before getting in the black Rolls Royce, parked next to the sidewalk. Kara didn’t answer her as bewildered she was by that revelation, her was off. It wasn’t that she did not trust Sam, but wasn’t sure how she felt after being lied to. Mostly since Reign was Supergirl’s enemy. And now only one question formed in her head, the question, whether Sam could protect her secret.


	3. Ambivalence

Kara removed the block, and the tower fell.

"You did this on purpose." Alex laughed, and William took a shot of yellow tequila. Kara, on the other hand, had some alien's alcohol her sister bought. Alex claimed that it wasn't fair everyone else getting drunk except for her. It was William's turn when they heard a knock on the door. Kara stood on her feet immediately and almost ran to the door. Lena was standing there, stunning as always she thought. She wore a tight ribbed off shoulder green velvet dress that showed some cleavage and hugged her curves perfectly. Kara felt her cheeks burn at this sight.  _ What are you doing Kara? You're checking her out? _ Even though she couldn't see her reflection, she was sure her cheeks were in the crimson shade.

"Will you let me in or will you keep checking me out?" Lena smirked and raised her perfect eyebrow. Kara now felt her ears burn too. Lena chuckled as she noticed how flustered was Kara by her teasing. Her guilty pleasure was making Kara as red as a tomato by teasing her. No matter how many times she did it, she could never get enough of it. Kara immediately opened the door and took a step back to let her in. "I'm so sorry for being late, there was a meeting that came up, and I couldn't escape earlier." She said and walked past a still completely shaken Kara.

"No, no, it's fine, it's good to have you here," Kara answered quickly in a breath. 

"This is for you." She passed a bottle of scotch to Kara, who even though had no idea about scotches she was sure it was expensive.

"Lena you shouldn't." She said, shooking her head disapprovingly.

"What is she doing here?" Alex's voice sounded from the coffee table where J'onn, Kelly and William waited for her to remove a brick from the tower. But she was already on her feet walking to Lena with her fists clenched. Kelly stood up too and ran to stop her before she did something and ruin the night.

"Alex, please, stop," Kara said and stood before Lena protectively, utterly unaware of her spontaneous move. Lena, on the other hand, stayed quiet with a clenched jaw and a raised chin, showing no emotion on her face. But Kara knew she was probably battling inside whether she should open the door and leave. 

"You called a Luthor here?" She spat on her sister.

"Nice to see you too, Alex," Lena said sarcastically which only made her angrier. She raised her fist and was about to punch Lena, but Kelly grabbed her wrist on time and pulled her back a little. Lena though never moved back or changed her facial expression. It wouldn't be the first time she got punched. Lionel had made sure of that. She was also used to being treated like that, because of her last name, which hurt Kara. It broke her, watching Lena being so familiar to such situations, trying to cover her pain with her expressionless, cold, mask she had to create to gain the respect of her competitors. Because being a CEO and a woman wasn't an easy job. Most men in business were sexists with superiority complexes, that made them disrespectful, especially to high positioned women. Kara thought she had enough of it, so she grabbed Alex's shoulder and forced her to walk to the other corner of the house to speak alone, while Kelly tried to make Lena comfortable. If that was any possible. 

"She has done all these terrible things to you, and you still invite her here? You didn't have enough? You want more?" Alex hissed.

"She apologised for everything, Alex! Her actions proved she's trustworthy. She would even give her life so that Andrea wouldn't hurt me. Andrea put a kryptonite blade on her throat. Hadn't she changed her mind, Lena would be dead now. Can you at least respect that? And if not, just do it for me, please. Give her a chance." Alex fell silent and dropped her eyes to her feet. She had her hands on her waist and shook her head like she had an internal dialogue with herself. 

"I can't forgive her toxic traits, Kara. I will never forget that she proved once more that she's the same with her family. But if she's it's important to you, I will try to not punch her. Not for her, for you." Kara chuckled and shoved Alex softly with her elbow. 

"Thank you for this." She said. Alex's eyes fell on the bottle of whisky she held. When she saw the tag on the bottle, her eyes opened wide and grabbed it from Kara's hands. In a fast pace, she walked past Lena and Kelly and went behind the kitchen stall, took a glass and poured a tremendous amount of the expensive liquid. She filled the glass carefully, not to spill any drop. Lena arched her eyebrow and tried to hide her smirk. She was pleased that someone, even if that was Alex, appreciated her taste in alcohol. And she couldn't blame her for hating after all. She had done terrible things to her sister.

"At least you brought an insanely expensive scotch." She addressed to Lena and took a sip of the yellowish liquid.

"Alex!" Kelly shouted and walked to Alex to scold her.

"I'm sorry about this." Kara was embarrassed about her sister's manners.

"It's okay, but you could have at least informed your friends that you invited me. I don't want to be a burden." Lena whispered. Kara knew if she continued speaking, she would say it was probably best for her to go and decided cut her off before she could go there.

"No, no, you are not bothering at all, and I want you to meet a new member." Before Lena could resist, Kara had already laced their fingers together, pulling her to the coffee table where the others sat around. When J'onn saw her, he greeted her with a contained smile and a nod. He always looked serious, but Lena knew after all their game nights in the past, it wasn't personal. She greeted him back with a smile that barely reached her eyes. William was on his feet now and circled the table to stand in front of them. "Lena this is my new... friend, William." Lena noticed the hesitation to call him friend causing to her stomach a twitch. "William, this is my best friend, Lena." That was one of the things Lena loved in Kara, she always left out her last name. And she wasn't sure if she did it on purpose, because of acknowledging the distress her last name provoked or because for Kara she had always been just Lena. But then she remembered Supergirl's deed with James, when she had him to search her vault, so she thought it wasn't always just Lena. It was Lena Luthor and Kara just respected her repulsion for her last name.

"Luthor!" William filled in and spread his hand for a handshake. His grip was too firm for her taste, almost painful, but she just faked a smile. There was something about him she didn't like, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was it. Something in his eyes. Not that he looked bad at all. It was the way he looked at her, it gave her a bad vibe. "How could I forget the person that saved me? You and Supergirl make an excellent team." He smiled, showing his bright teeth that contrasted with his tanned skin. He looked like those Cali boys. She was sure if he's acting was adequate, he would be able to be seen on some shows like Baywatch. She noticed he was waiting for her to say something, but she just smiled back. She loved the power of a simple smile. It was polite, but at the same time, it was powerful enough to create a substantial wall between two people.

"William, I had no idea you two knew each other! How come you forgot to tell me?" Kara said with an exaggerated shocked expression on her face which made Lena feel a little bad for William. She had been in this position for so long, and she knew how hurtful it was, been played like that. Kara could become a great actor. As if she could hear her thoughts, she turned to check on Lena who's face was fallen just for one second before putting her indifference mask. But one second was more than enough for Kara to notice. She knew what she thought, and immediately she felt a constriction in her throat. Regret and misery hit her, and it was inevitable to affect her mood.  _ Is it going to be like that forever? _

"I would, but then you cancelled our date, so I didn't get the chance." William shrugged and dragged Kara out of her sad thoughts. Then she apologised for scolding him and passed Lena a bolster to sit on. Lena, she took her coat off, and Kara offered to hang it. Alex sat exactly opposite of Lena, next to Kelly and shot her a deadly glare. At the same time, she was hugging bottle with the whiskey. Lena couldn't help but smirk at the view, but Alex noticed and kinked her eyebrow. She opened her mouth probably to say something despicable about the Luthors name, but she shut it without saying anything, having second thoughts. Lena thought that if a bottle of extremely expensive whiskey was enough to get off the hook with Alex, she should consider having one with her every time she met her. She and Kara were always on the same team since Alex partnered with her girlfriends. At first, it bothered Kara because she didn't like sharing her sister, she was used to the exclusivity, but seeing how good was her interaction with Lena during games, she didn't want to change teams ever again. It was like they could use telepathy to talk to each other through their mind. Just one look and they knew each other's thoughts. But for the first night after years, Kara partnered with William leaving Lena with J'onn. It made Lena a little bitter, but she swallowed it and tried to convince herself it wasn't a big deal. After all, he was new in the group, and Kara was trying to make him feel comfortable. 

Kara and William were losing in Jenga. They were the team that drank the most shots because he was a bungler. Every time he tried to remove a brick from the tower, it ended up falling. It wasn't that Kara was the most competitive person in the room, Lena and Alex owned the credits for that, but she just didn't want to get drunk that fast. After a while, they weren't the only drunks in the room, because Alex and Kelly were a mess too. Alex had consumed some fair amount of that scotch and mixed with the tequila shots, she was already wasted. Only J'onn and Lena were still sober. Or at least they seemed sober. Lena was an excellent and temperate drunk, so most of the times, no one could tell whether she was affected by the alcohol. 

"Hey, I think J'onn and Kara cheat with this drink they have. Why they don't drink tequila like the rest of us?" William mumbled utterly wasted. He could barely keep his eyes open. Kara felt uneasy by his question, and Lena noticed immediately. But Alex burst in uncontrollable laughing, to the point tears running on her cheeks. She put her hand on her stomach because it hurt by laughing so hard. She was leaning on William, who was laughing too without even knowing why. When they were too tired to laugh, more Alex made the wrong decision to speak.

"That's because they are a..." But she couldn't complete her sentence because Lena cut her in.

"Allergic! They're allergic to alcohol. They...They lack alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme so they can't drink it. This drink is specifically made for people with this allergy. It doesn't include alcohol but causes the same effects alcohol does." Lena stated simply as if she was reading the weather forecast. Getting raised by the Luthors and running a billion-dollar business forced her to be a fantastic liar. And even though everyone disapproved lies, Kara thought it was an admirable skill Lena possessed and admired her for that. Because she admired even those traits that everyone hated her for. Instead, Kara thought all of these flaws made her unique. Even when Lena turned against her, she never thought ill of her. She was hurt, yes. But she understood Lena's reasons. She understood the damage she caused to their friendship. Even though her sister said their friendship was a toxic one, she could never see something like this. For Kara, Lena was perfect and every day, especially after their hiatus, for some reason she was getting even more perfect.

Everyone's eyes opened wide except for Alex and William. William started laughing, and Alex was about to jump on Lena and hit her for cutting her in while Kara gulped almost loudly. Her identity was about to get revealed by her sister. And J'onn's too. Not that she did it on the purpose of course, but she should have been more careful. She was amazed by Lena's fast reaction. She covered her secret for once again. 

"You, Luthor." She spat with hatred. "You will regret this." She spat and tried to get up, but Kelly pushed her back to the ground. 

"No, you will thank me for that tomorrow," Lena answered coldly. Her face was unreadable, hiding her emotions entirely, but Kara could tell she was furious. Alex was about to reply, but Kelly grabbed her face and forced her in a kiss to distract her. Kara felt bad for Kelly. She had to keep Alex on a short leash the entire night. When they ended the kiss, Alex had already forgotten about Lena. Kelly formed a voiceless "I'm sorry" with her lips to Lena and Lena winked at her, with a smile. She felt terrible for Kelly too. William had stopped laughing and watched everything cautiously. His gaze was focused on Lena. He maintained the eye contact with her, for some reason Lena didn't know, but deep down was dying to find out. Her instinct warned her about him. 

"Why don't we level up the game? Let's have scotch shots. Except for J'onn and Kara of course." He then recommended and raised his arm to take the bottle from the coffee table, but Alex's firm grip stopped him. Her eyes threw fire on him.

"You are not touching a 1937 rare collection Glenfiddich! This whisky is not meant to be wasted for fucking shots. A single drop of it costs five times this flat. But your cheap-ass, of course, can't recognise the worth of it." She spat and slapped his arm with her free hand. Lena bent her head down a little to hide her smirk, but of course, Kara noticed. It was apparent she hadn't liked William, and it made her sad. Lena raised her head again and paid attention to William's features. They changed a little when Alex offended him but became neutral immediately. He was drunk, but he could still hide his real emotions.  _ But why would he try to hide his anger? It was wholly justified to feel angry after such offences.  _ A knock on the door dragged everyone's attention to the door. Lena felt relieved because she knew her back up was there. 

"Don't worry, I'm on it." Lena touched Kara's lap to prevent her from standing up and smiled politely. Lena's touch felt like electrocution to her body. She had missed her touch, her hugs, feeling their bodies pressed together every time they cuddled and watched Kara's favourite series on Netflix. She missed her, she wanted her friend back. Lena ran to the door and when she opened it she saw Sam standing with a bottle of wine and a sleepy Ruby with half-closed eyes. They hugged and welcomed them inside. 

"You came just on time," Lena whispered, and Sam furrowed her eyebrows.

"Sam!" Kara shouted and ran with open arms to hug her. William followed her with J'onn while Kelly helped Alex stand on her feet without falling. 

"If we keep pressing me like that you're going to smash me Superg..." Kara pinched Sam firmly as an indication to shut up. Sam's eyes watered by the pain, but she didn't make a noise at all. "If I get a bruise..." She threatened, but her smile betrayed she was just messing with her. J'onn offered his hand. 

"This is William, my colleague." Kara introduced him to Sam, and they shook their hands, smiling politely to each other. Then Sam threw a suspicious look on Kara, but she didn't seem to notice it.

"Saaaaam." Alex's completely drunk voice sounded, and before Sam had time to turn to face her, Alex threw herself on her. Sam lost her balance and took some steps back, but she was able to hold them both without falling. Alex was practically standing up because of Sam. 

"Hey," Sam said, grinning uncomfortably at her. Kelly came and took Alex away from Sam to let her breathe. She introduced herself and then excused them as she had to help Alex to go to sleep. Sam paid close attention to their interaction and suspected they were more than friends. She could just ask her friends, but for some reason, she didn't want to.

"Mom, can I go to sleep too?" Ruby asked, and after she greeted everyone in the room, she followed Kelly and Alex, who still carried her precious bottle of whisky with her. When Kelly turned to hold Ruby's hand, Alex lost her balance and fell on the ground and the bottle shattered in pieces.

"Noooooooooo." She cried out and punched the floor but then hissed and cursed because of the pain. Ruby chuckled, but Kelly gave her a small shove as a sign to stop. She helped Alex stand up again while she grumbled about the scotch. 

"Don't worry Alex, I'll buy you another one." Lena offered kindly. She felt pity too for the wasted scotch because it was costly, even for her.

"Fuck you Luthor I don't want anything from your dirty hands." Alex hissed with hatred. Lena sighed and gave a desperate look to Sam that now seemed to understand why Lena needed a backup. 

"Kelly, don't let her sleep without throwing up first," Kara said, and Kelly nodded, but Lena's voice stopped her before heading inside.

"Even if a drunken throw up, there is still a high risk of choking with their vomit in their sleep. The right way is to sober them up with black coffee and then letting them go to sleep." Lena proved for once again how smart and well educated she was. Kara's eyes lighted by her admiration to the woman.

"Well, in that case, I could prepare some coffee," Sam said.

"Nooooo don't do this to me," Alex shouted, but Kelly led her finally in the bedroom. 

"I think it's time to go," William said, and J'onn agreed with him. They both said their goodbyes and excused themselves. William asked Kara if they could rearrange their dinner for tomorrow night, and Kara accepted promptly. Lena took the dustpan and pretended to be focused on gathering the glasses from the floor while she was eavesdropping their conversation. Hearing Kara accepting, her entire body clenched, forgetting she still held a piece of glass which ended up getting stuck in her hand. Flinching and hissing because of the sudden pain, it caught Sam's attention immediately. She placed on the counter the cup of coffee she was about to serve to Alex and approached Lena to examine the wound. 

"Princess can't do anything without her maids," Sam said mockingly, and Lena huffed rolling her eyes. "Kara where's your first aid kit?" She shouted. Kara was still on the door talking with William, but when she turned her attention to them and saw Lena's hand covered in thick blood, she gasped and shut the door right on William's face. But she couldn't care any less at that moment, even if it hit him, which probably didn't, otherwise, she would have heard him whining.

"Oh, my Rao, Lena what happened?" She walked quickly upon her and held her hand to examine it.

"Oh it's nothing, I'll just remove the glass. Could you please pass me a tissue?" Lena said calmly, but between a blink of an eye, a gust of wind tossed her long dark brown hair into the air and Kara was disappeared. After a few seconds, she was back with a first aid kit. She softly took Lena's wounded hand and removed the piece carefully, like she was performing a cardiovascular operation, and then she cleaned the wound with Povidone-iodine and tied it. Lena observed the amount of concentration Kara needed for something so simple. She thought it was hilarious and incredibly sweet at the same time. But quickly, her attention moved to Kara's features. How soft her hair looked, the way her lips were pressed together in a thin line as a sign of concentration, her rosy, from the alien alcohol, cheeks. She was shamelessly checking her out without even realising it. She didn't even feel any pain at this moment. 

Sam observed their interaction sceptically while sitting in one of the kitchen's stools. "Thanks," Lena said when Kara finished her work. 

"Why you didn't let, me, gather the glasses?" Kara asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 

"Do you imply that I'm not capable of gathering some glasses from the floor?" Lena arched her eyebrow and stood up, putting her weight to help herself on her "good" hand. 

"Of course you're not," Sam replied teasingly. Lena said nothing, just gave her a penetrative angry look and Sam winked as she took a sip of a glass of red wine. She hadn't even noticed when Sam served herself the wine. She was completely taken aback by Kara's gentleness and sweetness. A wave of immense sadness hit her, and she felt her heart clenching. She suspected what triggered this feeling.

"Well, it's getting late, I should go now," Lena said and grabbed her coat and purse from the wooden hanger. Kara noticed that she was suddenly in a hurry and insisted on knowing if she was alright, but Lena reassured her and gave her a brief hug, putting a fake smile on her face and turning to the door. She was about to step out when Sam's words stopped her, causing a massive outburst of swear words internally.

"Lena, wait I'm going to wake Ruby up and drive you home." 

"There's no need, my driver is waiting for me at the entrance." She tried, she put all her efforts to speak in a steady voice and hide the lump she felt in her throat. She put her fisted hands in the black coat's pockets in case they would notice.

"Sam, you can crash here tonight. Don't wake the poor child up and force her to walk. It's cruel." Kara said, and Lena mentally hissed, having too much of her friend's kindness. She needed to escape from there, she needed to be able to breathe again. When Sam agreed, she took a deep breath and decided to speak again. 

"Okay, I'm going now because I'm super tired," Lena said steadily, but in the end, her voice betrayed her. That small crack and higher pitch would pass unnoticed by humans, but for a Kryptonian, it was much noticeable. But she left so quickly that, when Kara walked to the corridor, Lena was already stepping into the elevator. As the doors closed, she heard Kara shouting her name, but she just pretended she didn't listen. The elevator started its way down and not able to bear it anymore, she slowly knelt, hiding her face in her knees. Tears wetted her cheeks, like a waterfall crashing on the rocks, forcefully, without any gentleness. Her body jerked as her sobs got louder. She hoped that Kara would give her some privacy and wouldn't listen to her crying. Luthors weren't supposed to cry in front of an audience. They weren't supposed to show any kind of weakness. That was one of the first lessons Lillian taught her. If she could watch her in this state, she would give her that stern disapproving look while shaking her head. And she would be right _ , _ Lena thought because she didn't even know the reason she was crying for. Her sobs became more vocal, and her knees dropped to the floor as if too weak to hold themselves up. Her heart walked a thin line between anger and sadness, guilt and betrayal. She felt anger for herself for letting someone affect her so much. When she moved to National City, she swore that she would stay away from people, because they always seem to disappoint her. But when she met Kara, she felt like she was able to touch the sun. She couldn't explain how all she knew was she couldn't resist the temptation. So she let her guards down, and after so many years of thinking of finally having found the perfect and loyal friend, she learned through her evil brother, she was being lied all this time. She hated Kara for that, because there's nothing worse than hoping again after giving up, but then finding out it was a mistake. And Lena in the past had made many mistakes. Everyone in her life had betrayed her, friends, family, lovers. Then she decided to give up any hope, to keep her distances from people and at first, it was lonely, but she got used to it and ended up liking her solitude. But then Kara appeared and turned her entire world upside down. Though she understood the reasons she was lied to, now, it didn't help at all dealing with her sadness. Because it was another wound, she had to heal by herself. An injury that Kara had caused to her, Kara who selflessly saved people every day, putting her personal life in a second fate, preserving the same human beings that judged her, hated her, tried to hurt her, protested and conspired against her. She couldn't feel any more guilty for attempting to break the purest person in the world. Having tried to bury it in her mind, to drink it away, to sleep it out, it still was always there. Even if Kara had forgiven her, she couldn't forgive herself. But then Kara's betrayal reminded her how poorly she was treated by the person she loved the most. Confident in getting used being hurt, it was another kind of pain delivered from Kara. The pain she suffered by her brother, that once she thought it was the worst, was negligible compared to this.

The elevator's doors opened, and she slowly raised her head. Some of her hair was stuck on her sticky face, but she didn't bother to fix it. Her vision was still blurry, and for a moment she thought she saw Kara standing there watching her but rubbing her eyes, she saw nothing but the empty building's entrance. Relieved as she felt, she stood up and pulled back her hair with her fingers, ruining the parting of the hair completely, but she couldn't care any less about it. Not even managing to wipe her eyes from the tears, she grabbed her expensive purse from the floor and walked to the car outside. When the driver saw her, he immediately got out of the car and walked in a fast pace around the black Rolls Royce to open the passenger's door for Lena. She didn't even bother to thank him as she always did. The driver inserted the key in the starter, and as he put his foot on the brake, he pressed the start button, and the engine roared. He started driving and checked his boss a couple of times through the mirror.

"Miss Luthor, are you all right?" He asked politely, with real concern.

"Better than ever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello darlings, I decided to continue this and see where it goes. I hope I won't get bored writing it and I'll try to update the sooner possible. I don't know if there are any people actually willing to read this, but if you do, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'm having some exams next week and generally, I'm struggling with university and studying which means I'll probably suck at updating this. But I've already written down the plot so I'm not going to forget it. Oh, and by the way if you see any mistakes or something that seems weird PLEASE leave a comment so that I can fix it as soon as I see it. English is not my maternal language (greek is) so there are maybe some expressions that seem wrong?! Anyway, see y'all (my 10 million readers Ily) in a while.


	4. Redemption

The ride at home was quiet. Streets were almost empty at this late time. In less than ten minutes, Lena's car had already pulled up in front of the building's entrance. She said good night to the driver and opened the door. The cold breeze caused goosebumps on her skin, but instead of walking in the building, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the fresh air. Some minutes ago she was struggling to suffocate her sobs in an old, narrow, elevator. Her phone's ringtone forced her to open her eyes again. Mentally cursing, she fished it out of her pocket and without bothering to check the caller's name, she took the call.

"What?" She said in a thick Irish accent, completely annoyed for getting disturbed, to the point she didn't even care to mask her origin.

"Miss Luthor, I'm sorry for calling at this time, it's probably very late there." She didn't recognise the voice. "I'm calling from Mater Private Hospital, in Dublin," the woman's accent had betrayed her before saying she called from Dublin, "it's about your mother. She was in the terminal stage of cancer. In case you didn't know, it was a very aggressive type. We detected it in her lungs, but even though we did everything possible, it managed to spread in colon and pancreas too. We thought she had more time, but she insisted on taking a trip, which exhausted her and I'm calling to inform you, she just passed out." Lena fell silent, not being able to move at all. For a second, she thought she was getting a stroke. Her mother was dead. Because of cancer, in a Dublin's hospital, all alone, without saying anything about her condition. She didn't know how to feel about it. But then she remembered Lilian's visit a couple of weeks ago.

_ 2 weeks ago _

_"Hello, mother. I'd say it's a pleasant surprise to see you, but I'm not in the mood for lying today." Lena said without lifting her head from her papers. Lillian couldn't have picked a worse day to pay a visit to her. She was under much pressure to convince some new investors that L-Corp was a trustworthy company. Of course, after the crisis, it was much easier since the world thought Lex was a hero. Still, it wasn't easy to do._

_"Nice way to greet your mother," Lillian said sarcastically. She walked around the office, getting pleased by the sterile place. Disapproving the decoration, though. She always preferred traditional, victorian, furniture. The clinking noise of her heels annoyed Lena so much that she had to stop writing and ask her mother to take a seat. Lillian sat on one of the chairs before Lena's desk and crossed her legs in her signature gracious way. She kept her posture straight looking rather regal than elegant. Lena observed her while waiting for her to speak, but Lillian did the same with her. They just stared at each other without saying anything, and Lena lacked patience that day. She had spent the entire morning trying to find a solution about the Non Nocere. At noon she had to return to her office and prepare the presentation for the meeting at 2 p.m. After the meeting, she would go back to prison to find a solution with Lex. She was convinced that by using their brains together, there was nothing that could stop them. They would find an answer in the end. But then there was Lillian, adding some pressure in her already stressful morning. Lillian's head tilted a little as she looked absorbed in observing Lena's features. Her daughter though had no more patience left._

_"Mother I don't have time for, whatever this is. Why are you here?" Lena asked sharply._

_"Can't a mother just want to see her beloved child?" Lillian said in an innocent tone. She knew her relationship with her daughter was never like that, but she chose it to avoid the question. Lena's stress lines on her forehead became visible. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and massaged her temple._

_"I have to finish this presentation before 2 p.m, persuade the investors that L-Corp is a reliable company and then go back to... To finish some project, I'm working on with Lex. So please, mother, tell me the reason you're here and stop playing games!" Lena roared, and for a brief moment, Lillian's face got full of astonishment, but she quickly wore her unexpressive mask, as usual. But it was enough for Lena to catch a glimpse of her surprise._

_"My precious child, always working so hard." Lillian hid a hint of admiration in this sentence, but the way she said it made Lena believe it was just sarcasm. Lena didn't respond, just leaned back on her chair, never cutting the eye contact with her mother. If Lillian looked regal before, Lena looked like a queen sitting on her throne. Her navy suit, stern expression and jawline were the perfect combinations, imposing power enough to intimidate anyone who had the misfortune to meet Lena all serious and bossy, but Lillian only admired her more like this. Because she owned the credits for that. The years Lillian spent treating Lena with cruelty, came to fruition. And she admired that her daughter was strong enough to impose herself to anyone, no matter the social class they came from. Lena could be cruel and heartless if she wanted to. But Lena was more than that. She was a kind soul with empathy, in opposite to Lex and Lillian."On what exactly, are you working with Lex on?" Lillian decided to break the silence. She didn't expect Lena to tell her, of course._

_"Nothing you need to be concerned about." Lena had an internal battle, deciding whether she should go and pour herself a fair amount of whiskey, or ask Jess to bring her a coffee. Thinking of Lillian's words for drinking at noon, she picked up the phone, asking Jess to bring her a coffee and told her to get a break until the meeting time. She wasn't in a mood to hear her mother comparing her with Lionel and his alcoholism. In the meantime, Lillian was just sitting there, brushing some imaginary dust off her pants leg waiting for Lena to finish her call._

_"You know your brother is not trustworthy." Lillian suddenly dropped._

_"Says the best role model." Lena retorted._

_"I'm just saying that your brother always had the vision of becoming the ultimate emperor. If he's helping you, he has an ulterior motive, and you know it."_

_"Don't worry mother, I can deal with him. Don't forget I was the one that killed him in the previous world. I still have the guts to do it now." Lena said irritated, and Lillian failed to hide her smirk. She lifted her chin slightly while admiring her daughter._

_"Are you sure you can put your brother down without your petty friend's help?" She decided to play her. Lena's eyes widened._

_"You know?!" She whispered, her knuckles white from the firm grip on chair's arms._

_"Oh please, you're offending me now! The big glasses and that stupid ponytail couldn't befool me." Lena's face was even paler than before if that was possible. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. A million thoughts passed in her head while trying to comprehend everything her mother had just said. Only after she was confident she could control her feelings and thoughts, she opened her mouth again. Meanwhile, Lillian's face was blank as always._

_"You never said anything. Why?" Lena asked with a calm and contained voice._

_"I was relying on your intellect that you would finally wake up, but it seems your emotions clouded your judgment, even if the truth was right in front of you the whole time."_

_"You speak nonsense. I don't have any feelings for her. She was my friend, and she betrayed me like everyone, including you. Nothing new to me."_

_"Oh, don't be so dramatic! I taught you not to trust anyone. You really like fooling yourself, don't you? Is this some martyr complex of yours?"_

_"Maybe, amongst the other complexes, you caused to me with your inability to being a decent maternal figure." Lena snapped, and for the first time in her entire life, she could see that her words affected Lillian. Her neutral face couldn't deceive her anymore. She could slightly see some hurt right in Lillian's eyes that if she didn't know any better, she could have been convinced._

_"You should thank me for that instead of constantly accusing me. Without my ways, you would still be that sensitive little girl Lionel brought in our house. Unlikely to the woman you are now!" Lena raised her eyebrow and smirked to hide her surprise because listening to Lillian saying something positive about her, was more than just unexpected._

_"Watch it mother, I may start to believe you admire me." Lillian huffed and shook her head disapprovingly because even though she did, she would never admit that. Her ego prevailed. She watched Lena for a couple of seconds before deciding to go._

_"Now you may excuse me, but I've got a plane to catch. I have faith you will do the right thing with your brother," Lillian said as she stood up from the chair. Not waiting for an answer, she walked away gracefully on her heels._

_"That's it? You don't want to ask me anything else? You don't want me to conspire with you and plant some bomb, destroy aliens, spread a virus, throw some cheesy words to manipulate me?" Lena asked cynically, but deep down, she was worried. Every time she saw her mother, her intentions were clear even though Lillian tried to cover them with her pretentious manners. It was the first time she was utterly ignorant of the reasons for her visit, and it worried her a lot. Lillian stopped right in front of the door and turned her head to take a last glance at her daughter. She just smirked, making Lena to furrow her eyebrows. "Where are you going?" She asked, sensing something was wrong._

_"Bhaile," Lillian said as she opened the door and exited Lena's office with her chin high and a straight posture._

Present

"Home," Lena whispered as it was her mother's last word. _She was saying goodbye that day. That's why she was so weird._

"Miss Luthor?" The woman's voice sounded from the speaker dragging Lena out of her thoughts. "Anyway, according to the information your mother provided, your residency is in the United States. In case you're unaware of the procedure on such occasions until you can come here to arrange her funeral, we will keep her body in the hospital's mortuary."

"Thank you," Lena replied, almost mechanically.

"I'm sorry for your loss, miss." The woman said formally, probably being too accustomed to informing people of their loss, and hung up. Lena slowly distanced the phone from her ear and put it in her coat's pocket. Her chest clenched and tears started sliding down, but she immediately wiped them and moved inside the building. The porter greeted her, and Lena put a fake smile on her face until entering the elevator and pressing the button to her penthouse. She wouldn't cry for a woman that made her life miserable. _You are not such an idiot._ She stepped out of the elevator and opened her purse to get her keys, but her hands trembled and couldn't catch them. All her belongings scattered on the floor, and she screamed as she threw her purse away. Tears fell uncontrollably, wetting the surface as she fell abruptly on her knees to fetch her keys. She put her stuff in the bag and managed to unlock the door. When she entered her apartment, she slammed the door behind her and walked directly to the bar. She had enough crying for a night, enough emotions to deal with, enough sadness. She needed to drink until she felt nothing. She opened the bottle of the strongest and expensive scotch she possessed, pouring a significant amount of the gold liquid, in a crystal diamond-shaped glass. She didn't enjoy it as her father taught her to. Instead, she just swallowed it and immediately poured a second glass. The burning sensation caused her excessive sweating. Never leaving her drink, she walked to the window to open it. The cold breeze made her straight away to feel better. She took her coat off and threw it on her white leather sofa designed by Cini Boeri. Lillian had met her once in her lifetime, and during the period she tried to teach Lena the importance of being a tough and independent woman, she talked about Cini's achievements all the time.

Lena sauntered back to the bottle of scotch after finishing her second glass in two gulps. She poured herself another, gulping it down entirely and then she paused. She knew her alcohol tolerance, she knew that after the third, there wasn't turning back. Her vision was getting blurred already. A fourth glass and all her pain and anger would come on the surface, a fifth and she wouldn't feel anything but euphoria, a sixth and would probably pass out. Her reason screamed "no", but she decided to ignore all her warnings and poured the fourth drink. She grasped the bottle by its neck and made her way to the couch. Her reactions were getting slower, but she didn't care. She decided to enjoy this one glass before going for the fifth.

She was lost in her thoughts when a thud sounded from the balcony that made her jump on her feet spilling some of the yellow liquid on the white carpet, but she couldn't care any less about the stain. She turned her head to the balcony and saw Kara standing in her glorious Supergirl's suit, her cape fluttering because of the gentle wind. She wanted to run and close the window, craving to be left alone but she knew she wasn't in the state for running. Besides, a window couldn't discourage the woman of steel; thus, she gave up and just sat down, sipping some of her sacred drink. Kara approached her like walking on a tight rope. She paused her steps when she was standing opposite of Lena, only the coffee table between them.

"Hey," she said nervously, "I'm sorry for coming uninvited this late, but you left in a hurry before, and I came to check up on you. Are you okay?" Kara asked softly, but Lena didn't even bother to lift her gaze from the glass in her hands. She stared at it as her life depended on it, and Kara felt her chest ache at the sight of her. "Does your hand hurt?" She asked again, even after not getting a response to her previous question. Lena looked at her palm as if she watched it for the first time in her life. A gauze was tied around it covering the wound and a bloodstain right in the middle of the white cloth. She had completely forgotten about it. Not getting a response, Kara's stomach clenched and felt like panicking. "Lena?" Her name sounded broken as it exited her lips.

"My mother is dead," Lena said drily without any emotion. She looked at the scotch in her hand and took another sip, closing her eyes as the potent liquid seeped through her, hoping it would appease some of her demons.

"What? Lillian? How?" Kara's interest only bothered her more.

"Cancer, final stage," Lena said simply like talking about her plans for the weekend.

"Oh Rao, I'm so sorry," Kara said softly and took a step forward only to bump to the coffee table. Lena lifted her head to look at her for the first time, her gaze persistent on her friend's face.

"Liar." She stated and gulped down the rest of her drink. Then she helped herself another one. Kara's forehead creased.

"What do you mean?" Lena arched her eyebrow, her eyes lacking any warmth. She stood on her feet, pacing up. She felt dizzy but managed to persevere her balance perfectly. It wasn't the first time to be in such condition, after all.

"You don't have to pretend. You didn't like my mother. You were enemies. She tried to get rid of you every time she got the chance. You despised her as much as Lex. Why would you feel sorry now? Go ahead, be happy, be cheerful, one less enemy to deal with. Now only my brother's left. Except if you consider me too as your enemy. Then, two more left to take down." Kara's hurt was all over her face. Her glossy eyes shined under the dim light of the city. Her hands were curled into fists putting all her efforts not to break down right there. She felt hurt and anger because Lena was unfair with her again. Because she thought they were fine, but also her friend proved her wrong. And she was sick of getting Lena back only for losing her again after a short period.

"I know you're hurting now, but I'm not going to let you take it out all on me. Because, yeah, your mother was my enemy, but it happens to be friends with her stubborn daughter that does everything she can to tear us apart." She tried to remind her they were friends, but it only made things worse. Lena was aggravated now.

"This is how you treat your friends? By lying to them? And then blaming them for not reacting the way you wish? For not saying, "Hey Kara it's okay, let's hug it out, and we shall be fine!", for not being a complete simp?" She said cynically, her voice raised.

"I TOLD YOU I'M SORRY! I DID IT TO PROTECT YOU!" Kara screamed, finally giving in and falling into uncontrollable crying. Her entire face was red, and her eyes swollen, but Lena couldn't feel some compassion for her friend. She felt nothing at all. Only anger, that was escalating from time to time.

"Save your crocodile tears for some fool. You've fooled me enough, don't you think?" Lena spat, and when she heard Kara's sobs, she smiled pleased with herself. She wished Lillian was there to watch her. Her mother would be proud of her for once in her life.

"You're drunk," Kara whispered after having calmed down a little. The anger Lena felt before was nothing compared to this one now. She had never felt angrier actually, in her life. Not able to control herself anymore, she threw the glass on the wall, shattering the expensive cup and spilling the even more costly liquid everywhere. Kara was startled.

"That's it! I've had enough of you. I want you out of my house!" Lena hissed, but Kara didn't seem affected at all. It was like she suddenly turned off her emotions and was about to face her with equal rage. Except that Kara's feelings were more of sympathy and less of anger. She felt like Lena's state was her responsibility. She knew how stubborn her friend was. She pushed everyone away and closed to herself when she was at her lowest. She wouldn't allow her to do this, no matter how much her words hurt her. Moreover, Kara felt responsible for the pain she caused to her. Even if Lena had hurt her too, she couldn't forget all the times she lied to her.

"I'm not leaving you," Kara stated with her hands on her waist. Lena was delirious. She circled Kara, walking around her as if sizing her up but didn't make her feel intimidated at all. Instead, it encouraged it more. She thought from time to time, Lena would finally lose all her persistence and would give up.

"Then, you are stupid!" Lena tried to sound threatening, but she knew the only weapon she currently had against Kara, was words. Words to blame her for something that even she, now, believed it was for good. Thinking that Kara's intentions were pure, even if it hurt her. After all, she did much worse to her. Kara didn't deserve it, and Lena knew it, but her judgment was too clouded by the mix of grief and alcohol and something else she didn't recognise. She just wanted to be left alone.

"Maybe I am. But I care too much for you to leave you like this. If that makes me stupid, so be it. Call me stupid." Kara said determinedly, exasperating her more. Lena, for a moment, stopped pacing up behind her friend's back. Kara turned around slowly to face her and was caught by surprise when Lena came upon her quickly. She was right before her, with her fist raised, ready to punch Kara with all her strength, knowing it wouldn't hurt her friend but would hurt herself. Because according to her messed up mind, she deserved it. Closing her eyes, ready to accept the pain, before her fist crashed on Supergirl's chest, a firm grip around her wrist stopped her. She tried to free her hand, but Kara didn't let her. Lena's moves were desperate. She tried to punch Kara with her free hand but was captured too by a firm grip. Lena desperately tried to get free and when Kara didn't let her, her eyes filled with tears.

"WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?" She screamed with a hoarse voice, completely devastating her friend. Kara had read once an article about how the death of heartbreak was real. According to the scientists, the broken heart syndrome happens when someone gets through something so emotionally stressful that the heart can't take it. Half part of the heart stops pumping blood which leads to heart failure. If something like that could happen to Kara, she was sure it would happen, watching her friend like that. Lena burst into sobs and rested her forehead on Kara's chest. Even when she wore heels, she was a bit shorter than Kara, but now that was barefoot, she felt minor. Kara let her wrists free and enveloped her with her strong arms, making Lena feel safer than ever. She surrendered herself to Kara, crying tumultuously as her entire body jerked.

"I'm sorry." Lena tried to say between the sobs and Kara only rubbed her back to soothe her. She rested her chin on Lena's head, smelling her expensive perfume mixed with vanilla conditioner.

After what it felt like an eternity, Lena's sobs had stopped, and her breathing was almost back to normal. The sky had gotten light blue, and light had filled the room. Slowly every shadow disappeared, every dark corner was illuminated again. Lena slowly lifted her head and locked her eyes to Kara's. She could practically feel her breath on her face but didn't step back. Instead, Lena took advantage of the close distance to admire her features, before deciding to speak again. Under her dizziness and emotional breakdown, she overlooked the daybreak.

"Growing up, I always struggled with keeping friends for longer than a few years or even months, due to the habit of isolating myself from everyone else, whenever I began to draw closer to someone or open up to them. But as unhealthy as it was, I can't argue that it hadn't kept me safe from heartbreak and betrayal from others. One of the many reasons I moved to National City was to avoid catching feelings for Jack. As you understand, during my entire life, I've been facing my problems just by myself. No one else has seen me breaking down. I was raised to be ashamed to show my emotions." She took a small pause choosing her next words carefully. The excessive amount of alcohol she consumed made it difficult for her to concentrate. She closed her eyes to focus, and Kara tried to say something to ease her.

"It's okay, I understand."

"No, you don't." Lena returned abruptly. "You don't understand what it is to be raised as a Luthor. You don't know what it is like, getting taught since your childhood to be merciless. You can't understand anything actually because even though you've been through hell, I suppose, you remained pure and good-hearted while I became miserable and rotten inside. I blame you for hurting me, and I keep reminding it to myself because I still can't accept how I dared to hurt the purest person in this terrible world. How I could cause so much damage to you, the only person I've ever loved that much." Kara's astonishment was written in her entire face, and Lena hurried to make an addition. "The only real friend I've ever had in my entire life." Kara hid her disappointment even though she didn't know why she felt disappointed. Her face remained neutral as she listened carefully to Lena's words. "I'm so sorry, Kara. To be honest, I felt so much pain that you can't even imagine and with the Non Nocere I thought I was doing something good for this world finally. I wanted to finally get redemption for my previous mistakes because they still weigh my conscience. It seems like every time I'm convinced I'm doing something good, I end up doing the opposite completely. I thought I had found a way to end famine and solve climate change and ended up bringing an entire army of Daxamites to conquer our planet. How many people were killed or lost their home because of me? I can't blame people like Ben Lockwood for hating me that much. I destroy everything I touch." Kara shook her head and was about to cut her off, but Lena raised her index finger and continued, closing her eyes again as if she had some written lecture in her head. "Then, with Harun-El. I experimented on people, and they died. Completely alone, on that freaking bed in my lab. And as if it wasn't enough, I worked with Lex. My psychopathic narcissist brother who would sacrifice the entire planet if it meant he would be able to kill Superman. Or you. I knew his intentions were bad Kara. I knew he would betray me and that I was on the wrong side. But instead, I kept hurting you again and again, even though a part of me screamed to stop. I tress-passed human rights for once again just because I thought I did something good like a tyrant. Maybe I'm a Luthor after all. And I'm dangerous like my brother Kara. You need to lock me up somewhere. I can't cause all this damage every time someone hurts me, or I get the illusion I'm offering something good. I don't want to become like my brother Kara. Please. I'm begging you. Don't let me become like Lex." Lena was drained and tired, not any tears left to spill. She opened slowly her still red and swollen eyes. A vein popped out on her forehead because of the pressure. Her cheeks glistered of the tears, and Kara felt her heartbreaking all over again. Because it hurt her more than kryptonite watching her speaking like that of herself. Begging Kara to lock her up somewhere because she thought she was insane. She couldn't let this self-flagellate go on. Lena seemed to just have noticed the daylight, so she immediately hid her face shamefully from Kara, being aware that her make up was ruined entirely. But Kara thought she somehow still looked perfect. She touched Lena's chin softly forcing her to look at Kara. She was taken aback by Kara's move, but it didn't discourage her at all.

"Look at me, you're beautiful." She pulled her face back and chuckled as she looked at her feet while shaking her head in disbelief. The first rays of the sun penetrated her windows, illuminating all her perfect facial features. Her entire apartment was filled with a warm light. Kara stopped breathing when Lena lifted her heads. She had noticed how engaging her eyes looked during the daylight, but at that moment, when the sun wasn't at its brightest, she could die by her gaze. They were in a yellowish shade, making her look surreal. She looked like she was dragged out of a fairytale.

"I'm serious Lena. I don't even know how this is possible with you. Every woman would look like a mess now, but your mess is incredibly charming, and I don't even know if there's anything that can make you look less beautiful. I swear you're the most beautiful and kindest woman I've ever met. And I'm not saying it to stroke your ego. It's just what I see. Please stop comparing yourself to Lex. When I see him, deep down, I feel fear and threat. When I see you, all I feel is love and compassion. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever be afraid of you Lena, because you're not a villain. Stop being so hard on yourself. I have made mistakes too, and my greatest one was lying to you and tricking you about my identity. I shouldn't have done this to you, and it's something I'll regret forever. I even sent James to your vault, I accused you just because of your last name even though your actions proved your loyalty. Even though you showed me your true self. There's no way to express my gratitude for everything you've sacrificed for me. So please stop talking like that because I can't imagine a world without you, Lena." Kara was trying the entire time to hold her tears, but in the end, it was inevitable. Lena was quietly sobbing again, and her lip was trembling. When Kara was done crying, Lena looked at her for some seconds with her big glowing green eyes and then pulled her in a firm hug without saying anything. Kara hugged her back and rested her head on Lena's shoulder. More than ten seconds passed and eventually, their hug loosened up. They could feel each other's breath against them, but neither of them took a step back.

Kara felt uneasy under Lena's gaze. She, on the other hand, was in the same state as Kara, but there was something else in her eyes too. A struggle. An Indecision. Something Kara had never seen Lena battling with. She was the strongest and most decisive woman she knew. Just for a moment, Lena's gaze travelled lower to her lips, and Kara felt mouth dry. She inched closer slowly, and Kara closed her eyes instinctively. She didn't even realise that her lips were half parted. _What the fuck are you doing, Kara? She's your friend!_ She felt a pair of hot lips land right on the corner of her mouth while delicate fingers stroked her cheek. It wasn't a simple peck though, it lasted more than a second, and it was soft and careful, like being afraid if she pushed too much she'd break her. A part of Kara wanted it to be just a few centimetres beside. _No Kara you can't think of that she's your friend. You won't explore your sexuality with your friend._ She backed off slowly, and Kara opened her eyes again to see Lena bending her head down a little to hide the scarlet of her cheeks.

"Thank you, Kara, you're an amazing friend." She said and curved her lips in a small smile. Kara did the same, even though something inside her hurt. Because something inside her knew that wasn't just a kiss and that thought set her soul on fire.


	5. Vincible

Lena woke up after feeling a constant sharp pain below her tummy. She pulled the duvet up, covering her head, ultimately trying to ignore it and go back to sleep, but it was impossible. No matter how tired she still felt the pain wouldn't go.  _ Fucking period. _ She grumbled and forced herself out of bed slowly. The room was dark and inwardly thanked herself for remembering to pull the curtains before going to sleep. She wore her soft dark grey slippers, tied the belt of her black satin kimono and made her way to the kitchen. She passed next to the sofa with her eyes still half-closed, completely hungover and when a crack sound on her feet woke her up. She stepped back and watched the countless pieces of shattered crystal. Taking a look around her, she cursed inwardly, totally regretting that she hadn't let Kara clean the mess when she had offered earlier in the morning. The scotch was dried on the floor, making her steps sticky. There was a yellow stain on the wall too, and she was sure she would have to repaint it. She pulled the drawer with the medicine, put an ibuprofen pill in her mouth and turned to the fridge to take a bottle of water. She drank it all as the excessive amount of alcohol got her completely dehydrated. A buzz sound got her attention as she took a glimpse of her scattered coat on the floor. She remembered dropping to the couch, not the bottom. She went to pick up her coat, and when she lifted it, pieces of crystal fell on the floor. Even though it was black, she could notice the stains of scotch. She fished her vibrating phone out of her pocket and saw Sam's name on the screen, but before she could answer the call was ended. The notifications bar then appeared with 10 missed calls from Sam and one from her secretary, Jess.  _ Damn.  _ Earlier in the morning, she had texted Sam that she couldn't make it to work today and asked her if she could take up the company for the day and that Jess would inform her about her tasks. While she had been waiting for a reply, she dozed off. Her eyes widened, and panic undertook her body. It was 3 p.m. She hadn't slept this late since she was in college, attending some stupid parties only to get drunk and make out with people. Then she remembered she had booked a flight before going to sleep. She was going to fly tonight to Dublin with Kara.  _ Oh God, why did I agree on this?  _ She immediately started dialling some numbers while trying to remain calm.

_ Earlier this morning _

_ "So, you're Irish?" Kara was sitting next to her on the sofa. Her body leaned on the back while Lena's head rested on her thighs. The massage Kara provided in her scalp made it very difficult for her to stay awake. _

_ "Yes. My biological mother was born in Ashford of Wicklow County in Ireland. I have some faded memories from a small house with a little garden and Lionel coming there to play with me. Nothing more than that." Lena's face fell, and Kara felt the need to cheer her up. _

_ "Damn." She said like someone having just heard the coolest thing in the world and Lena couldn't hide her grin. "Say thirty-three and a third." _

_ "Very funny," Lena said sarcastically and shot her a dirty look. Kara giggled, but when Lena threatened to go to sleep, she immediately stopped. "I have to remind you, I was adopted by the Luthors when I was four, so I practically grew up in America. I can pronounce the words without an accent." She kinked her eyebrow and crossed her arms above her stomach. She looked like an angry little child which Kara found extremely cute, but wouldn't tell her that of course.  _

_ "Sorry I have to ruin this for you, but sometimes some you over-pronounced the "r" in some words, especially every time you suggest a walk in the paRk," Kara tried to mimic the way Lena said it, "as long as the "l" too, then your "t" which made me think you had British roots but didn't want to ask about your past and make you uncomfortable," Lena observed her, "but what betrays you the most is the way you pronounce everything! The pitch of your voice is lower at the beginning of each word and gets higher at the end. I haven't seen any American speaking like that." Lena feigned a sarcastic gasp and touched her chest, making Kara giggle again. If anybody told her a couple of weeks ago that her night would have ended with making Supergirl all giggly and happy while laying on her, she would say to them to go and sell the story on CatCo magazine.  _

_ "You caught me Supergirl. I am ready to accept my punishment." Lena smirked, raising her eyebrows as she crossed her arms, creating an "X" shape to pretend being handcuffed. Kara blushed, and Lena found it endearing. _

_ "If you want to keep your origin a secret, you should be more careful," Kara said seriously, but Lena couldn't stay sober. The alcohol and the exhaustion messed with her mind. _

_ "You practically said "I flew here on a bus!" while stuttering like a broken videotape, and you're reproaching me for letting slip some of my charming accents." She shook her head disapprovingly with a big grin, showing off her perfect smile and dimples. Kara, on the other hand, hid her face in her palms because of the embarrassment she felt. _

_ "You still remember." She whispered mostly to herself, thoroughly annoyed. "I'm sorry. You don't know how many times I wished to tell you." Continued in a sad tone, but Lena was fast to interrupt her.  _

_ "Hey, look at me!" She pulled Kara's hands away to see her face. "I want to leave all of it behind us. Mentioning it now was simply a joke. Because, when I think about it I find it extremely funny. Amongst other memories with you. I'm not using it against you, and I'll never do it again. I swear it. All I want is us to be like before." She intertwined their hands together while she set a blonde lock behind her ear with her other free but wounded hand. They both fell in comfortable silence, just staring each other. Neither of them felt the need to say something more, and Kara continued her massage on Lena's scalp. Her friend's strokes lullabied her and her eyes slowly shut. Even though Kara would have loved to let her sleep on her thighs, she had to go on patrol before checking in CatCo. She called Lena's name softly, and her eyes immediately opened. _

_ "I'm sorry," Lena mumbled and sat up on her hips. She rubbed her head, the hangover beginning to strike.  _

_ "It's okay. I'd love to stay, but I must go to work." Kara replied, honestly. But even though she wanted to respect her friend's exhaustion and let her finally withdraw, she thought she had to know before she left. _

_ "Can I ask you something last?" Lena sighed and twisted in the couch to sit correctly, but just before her feet touched the floor, Kara using her superspeed fetched her the slippers.  _

_ "Thank you." When she noticed the shattered glasses on the floor, she offered a genuine smile but barely reached her eyes because of the exhaustion. _

_ "I can clean this mess quickly before I go. You can go to sleep, I'll be reticent, you won't even notice me here."  _

_ "Thank you, Kara, I appreciate it and everything you have done for me, but it's nothing my cleaning staff can't handle. Now, would you mind to share your concern so I can get some sleep? Not that I'm going to work today, but still I have a flight to catch at night." She reached her phone slowly from her coat's pocket next to her and booked a flight to Dublin while waiting for Kara to speak.  _

" _ Lillian is she... I'm sorry, was she an Irish too? For some reason, I thought she was American." _ Lena didn't lift her head from the phone. She kept texting at someone.

_ "She was American, but I think it has to do something with my mom. I don't know. The last time I spoke to her, she just threw some Gaelic word in the end and left without giving me time to ask her. I was planning to ask her next time I saw her." She put the phone but in her coat's pocket and as she stood on her feet, it fell on the floor, but she didn't notice. She felt dizzy and would have probably landed on the ground if Kara wasn't there to catch her immediately. _

_ "What did she say?" She asked while helping her make it to the bedroom. _

_ "I asked her to which place she was going to fly and she said home in Gaelic." Kara's eyebrows creased in suspicion. _

_ "Home?" Her face was sulky now. _

_ "Yeah, I don't know. I hope to find out when I get there." She helped Lena get under the bed's covers. "Kara, I'm sobering up, and my head is throbbing badly. I'm sorry for my manners, but I need to rest now; otherwise, I won't be able to sleep at all."  _

_ "Yes, of course, but just know I'm coming with you." _

_ "No!" Lena protested.  _

_ "You must accept otherwise I'm not leaving." Kara stood beside Lena's king-sized bed and crossed her arms. _

_ "I won't drag you in my sorrow, Kara." Lena protested. _

_ "You're not dragging me anywhere. I want to come with you, I'm not leaving you alone to get through this. You're my best friend." Lena narrowed her eyes towards Kara, both having a silent battle trying to prevail. But she was too tired to maintain her resistance. _

_ "Okay fine. I'll pick you up at 10." She finally gave in, and Kara grinned pleasantly. _

_ "See you tonight," Kara said and disappeared within a blink of an eye.  _

_ "I hate it when you do that," Lena said even though it was dubious, she heard it. _

Present

Lena was giving orders to the cleaning staff for the time she would be away, under the supervision of her security team. She didn't trust them to be there cleaning all by themselves. After all, countless of people despised her. Her phone rang again. This time it was Jess. Dismissing the crew and took the call.

"Miss Luthor, are you okay?" Jess's worried voice sounded from the speaker.

"Yes, everything is fine. Is Samantha Arias there?"

"Yeah, miss Arias is here. She looks a bit overwhelmed, though. I heard her whining something about you throwing a bomb and then disappearing. Are you sure you're not in danger miss Luthor?" Lena suppressed her chuckle. She felt pity for the woman. The concern about her touched her deeply. It was almost impossible to find a good secretary nowadays. Jess was capable of working under tremendous pressure while at the same time, she was polite and consisted of the best human values. She hated when her secretaries became nosy or flirty after some time. She had fired countless women and a man for such reasons. 

"I appreciate your concern confoundedly, Jess, but I'm fine. I'm sorry for not informing you about this change. My mother is dead, and I will be on abroad the following days. Miss Arias will replace me. Is that okay with you?" 

"Yes, of course! I am encouraged to believe our cooperation is exceptional." 

"Great! Then I leave you in good hands." Lena was about to end the call, but Jess's voice stopped her.

"Miss Luthor?"

"Yes, Jess?!" 

"I'm deeply sorry for your mother." Lena smiled, even though Jess couldn't see her. 

"Thank you, I appreciate that." 

"No problem." Jess ended the call first, and as Lena checked the clock, she panicked. It was already 5 p.m and still hadn't packed anything. Before she dropped the phone on the coffee table, it rang again. This time it was Sam.

"Yes?" She took a deep breath, being aware of the upcoming scold of her friend. She put her on the speaker and walked to her bedroom to start packing. 

"Yes? Is that all you have to say, Lena? Are you nuts?" She put all her efforts to keep her voice low.

"I know you have every right to..."

"You text me a fucking message at dawn, while I'm supposed to be asleep because I have taken some days off to come and see you! Because you asked me to come in National City to back you up in whatever you're going through with Kara," Lena furrowed her eyebrows at this point. She didn't remember mentioning some trouble with Kara. Only her sister. "and the only time in the year I can get some short of vacations from leading your company's division in Metropolis, I have to be the chief of L-Corp?! I could use the spare time for my daughter Lena! And you didn't even mention anything last night. You just left bewildered while I was trying to convince Kara to give you some time alone for dealing with God's know what!" Lena let her vent without cutting her off. She sat on her bed next to the empty suitcase she had placed on and rubbed her temples while listening to her friend recourse her anger. When Sam stopped, she chose her words carefully.

"I know you have every right to accuse me of treating you poorly, but you have to believe me, I didn't have a choice. Something came up, something serious and unavoidable and I'm afraid I'll have to be away for some days. I need you to administrate L-Corp while I'll be gone."

"What? Lena, are you okay? I'm coming to see you right after I'm done here." Sam said decisively.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just Lillian. She's gone, and I shall travel to Dublin for her funeral."

"Oh, Lena, I'm so sorry. Had I known... Wait! Was she Irish?"

"No, I am."

"You're Irish? That explains the accents." Lena huffed annoyingly.

"We have much to talk about when I return." 

"Yeah obviously," Sam said with a hint of irritation.

"Sam, I'm so sorry. I need you to believe me. When I called you, I had no clue any of this would happen. I called you because I needed you here as a friend! I needed a friend to step into Kara's house because even if they didn't say anything, except for Alex, of course, I could feel they were highly guarded, because of me! I hated it being completely alone there with them. And with Kara last night we talked about everything and everything is fine now between us. She even will travel with me to..."

"Wait, what? Kara is coming with you to Dublin?" Sam screeched.

"Yes, why?" Lena waited for a response for more than a full minute.

"Nothing Lena. I just hope you know what you're doing." Sam replied with a sceptical, almost sad tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing Lena. I need to hang up now there's a meeting in the boardroom I need to attend. Goodbye." Sam said, leaving Lena speechless. She knew she had messed up with her but didn't think the damage was that big. She hoped when she returned, they could talk about it.  _ Damn, I can see why the world hates me that much.  _ She checked the time on her phone. It was 7 p.m, and she still hadn't packed anything. Turning her head on the left, she noticed that she needed a more giant suitcase since she would have to carry winter clothes and coats. She put the medium-sized bag, back in the wardrobe and chose a bigger one that Lillian bought her the first time she would travel alone on abroad. It was a brown Bottega Veneta made from alligator skin and probably the most expensive luggage she possessed. Even if Lena had a costly taste, it was too extravagant according to her, particularly since her travelling moments were limited. She didn't like aeroplanes, and she didn't like boats also, but she compromised when necessary. 

After an hour and a half, she was almost done packing when she remembered she forgot to pack the shoes. The suitcase was full, and she decided to carry a duffle too. After all, she wouldn't have to take it by herself. She had hired a private taxi to pick them up from the airport. 

Lena pulled the zipper of the duffle bag and threw herself on the bed completely exhausted. She always hated packing for travels and still had the feeling she forgot something even when nothing was missing. Checking the time on her phone and realising only a quarter was left to make herself presentable. She still hadn't showered, and at 9 p.m she would go and pick Kara up as she promised.  _ Oh my God, Kara!  _ She unclocked her screen hurriedly and started texting.

Kara had spent her morning in CatCo after going on patrol in case she had some sign of Lex. But everything was suspiciously calm, like before the outbreak of a storm. After finishing her tasks for the week, mostly using her unique gifts when she was sure no one was watching, she announced at Andrea that she would be gone for some days. Of course, her boss didn't like it at all, but when she saw she had miraculously finished all her tasks, she dismissed her for the rest of the day to pack her things. Then she went to the Tower to tell J'onn and Alex that they had to take over for a few days. By the time she heard about her sister's plans, Alex had gone crazy. She caught a big fight with Kara while J'onn tried to separate them. Then an alien that looked like a white Martian but much smaller and without psychic abilities attacked them, forcing them to stop their fighting an focus on capturing him. The problem was that now that they didn't have brainy commanding the DEO, the organisation had strict orders to consider them a threat and rebellions. They knew the orders came directly from Lex. As a result, their job was more challenging now because they had to keep them contained until they saw the DEO's black SUVs coming but being able to escape at the same time. This alien though wasn't easy to capture. When he saw he was losing the battle, he just flew away. Kara chased him but stopped when he left the atmosphere. After that she kept herself busy the whole time, saving people by earthier causes. She was putting out a fire when she heard her comm coming online. 

"Supergirl, we spotted him, he's west near the corner of Figueroa & 5th Streets," Alex said professionally.

"I'm on my way." She carried out of the building the last man that was trapped and using her super-breath, the fire was extinguished in a few minutes. The crowd that was gathered behind her cheered and shouted her name. She turned around, gave them a big smile and inflected her knees to give a push to the ground and fly up in the sky. She was flying to Alex and J'onn when she felt a buzz in the secret pocket of her pantsuit. Fishing her phone out she saw the notification from Lena but waited until she landed to open it.  _ Flying and being on the phone is dangerous.  _ She landed on the ground abruptly, cracking the bitumen. Then she checked the unlocked the phone screen.

** Lena:  ** I'm sorry for informing you this late, but in case you didn't check, November in Dublin is grey, cloudy and rainy as in the rest of the year, and with each passing week, it gets progressively colder. In November, the wind is often moderate or vigorous. I hope you have packed some warm clothes and in case you haven't, we still have some time. Text me when you're ready to come and pick you up.

Kara smiled at the text. Her entire day was stressful and annoying, especially after the fight with her sister. She hated fighting with Alex more than anything.

"You know humans pay extra taxes to fix the public property you ruin." Alex snapped, forcing Kara to lift her head and face her. Alex's eyes briefly looked at the phone on her hands, and as if she sensed whose text she was reading, she threw her a dirty look. Before Kara could respond, the alien grabbed her and threw her on a car, causing a small explosion. The phone landed on the street. She hoped it wasn't broken. Of course, it didn't hurt Kara, but when she walked out of the flames, he punched her out of sudden, opening a small wound on her forehead.  _ Damn it, I hate it when they're flying.  _ Kara looked around her dizzy from the hit, and when she didn't expect it, another punch landed right on her ribs. She hissed from the pain. Alex and J'onn tried to stop him, but he took them out in a strike. He was too fast to be watched so; instead, Kara knelt and closed her eyes. She used her super hearing, and when the alien was coming to strike again, she turned and punched him with her full strength, making him land a mile away from her on a building's wall. Before he had time to recover, she ran on him and kept punching him until he passed out. Alex and J'onn approached and wore him handcuffs similar to those they used in the DEO for aliens. 

"Good job," J'onn said to Kara, and she smiled proudly. Alex though gave Kara a stern look. She was about to say something when J'onn interrupting them again. "We need to go, the DEO is close." He said as he sensed them with his mind. 

"You go, I will meet you in the Tower." They both nodded and ran away while Kara went back to the spot she lost her phone. She picked it up and was happy that it wasn't broken until she saw the screen dropping on the concrete ground and shattering into pieces.  _ Great, now Lena will think I stood her up.  _ The DEOs' tires screeched by the abrupt bracing. The agents stepped outpointing their guns towards Kara. 

"Surrender yourself, or we shoot." __ An agent she didn't recognise said. He was probably the new director or the specific team's leader. After all those years of working together, they should know better. 

"Long time no see. I'd love to sit here and discuss with you guys. But I have a plane to catch." Kara said mockingly, and one of the agents shot without an order. She was about to leave when she saw in slow motion the bullet coming out of the barrel. It wasn't a typical bullet. It was a shiny green colour, a colour she knew very well. As the bullet approached slowly, the veins in her hands started becoming shinning green and painful. But she had all the time in the world to avoid it, which she did and the bullet penetrated a parked truck behind her. The agent that looked like the leader shot a death glare the agent who shot without his orders. Kara took advantage of this distraction to push her feet on the ground and fly away. They didn't shoot, since they knew it was pointless. Kara was still taken aback by the kryptonite usage. She missed the old world. Even after dealing with many threats daily, she felt safe. Because no one used her weakness against her and in the DEO all the agents had to sign a paper, forbidding them to ever use kryptonite. She flew in the Tower, where Alex and J'onn had just arrived. 

"What happened?" J'onn saw Kara's frown. Alex's face remained neutral.

"My phone's broken." Kara lied. She didn't want to worry about them anymore. She had enough troubles already. And they would soon have another one since they would be left alone for some days with two basic members of the team already missing. Kara felt guilty for leaving them on their own.

"Oh, such a pity. You can't text your fiendish friend now." Alex pouted to boost her sarcasm with emphasis. 

"Why do you hate her so much?" Kara said as she rested her arms on her waist.

"Do you ask me that?" Alex shouted, losing her temper completely. "From where to begin? She has done countless damage to you, she even used kryptonite against you! And all those lies, she played you for more than a month, Kara!" Alex practically screamed.

"So did I! We're even," Kara answered in the same tone. J'onn had utterly given up. He sat on a chair, watching them alerted to intervene if things get hotter between the two sisters.

"You are not even Kara! She... She..." Alex couldn't find any words. She stuttered, trying to find an argument against Lena.

"She's what Alex? Say it." Kara challenged, and if Alex's eyes could throw fire at her, they would already have.

"SHE'S A LUTHOR!" Alex spat full of hatred and despise of the name she was forced to pronounce. Kara fell silent, looking at the floor. She shook her head like having a dialogue with herself inwardly, unable to hide her disappointment of her sister. Because her impression was that Alex judged and treated people fairly, not according to prejudice. She lifted her head still not able to look at her sister, she paid attention to the space around her. It seemed very depressing. The old and dusty clock on the wall caught her attention. It was almost 9:15 p.m, and she still hadn't contacted with Lena.  _ Shit. She's going to think Rao knows what.  _ Alex was looking at her with her arms crossed and placed before her chest. She was still as angry as before. She opened her mouth to say something but Kara interrupted her. It was her turn to speak now.

"You of all people gave me the impression your opinion on someone was objective and unbiased. Because you know how it feels being treated with prejudice. You are a queer woman, living in a society that people and aliens still have to fight for their basic rights. You've faced racism even for your hairstyle, and you always thought this is all a crap. You always said that racism could go fuck itself. But you're exactly just like them. You only see her last name and nothing more. Even if she would sacrifice her life for me, which she almost did by the way. I can't believe my own sister is as shallow as this." Kara turned to J'onn without looking at her sister anymore. "J'onn, if it's an emergency, don't hesitate to communicate with the comm," Kara said calmly, and J'onn just nodded. She turned to leave only catching one last glimpse of her sister's hurt expression. Kara felt awful, but Alex had left her no choice. 

During one minute, Kara was in entering her apartment. In two minutes, she had already showered. In three minutes, she had already packed her warmest clothes and a suitcase, had put her makeup on knowing Lena would want her to look presentable when she accompanied her and covered her wound on the forehead with a small plaster. It looked ridiculous, she thought, but by the time it would heal, she would remove it. After locking the door, she threw the keys in her shoulder bag and flew to Lena's place. To not move any suspicions, she landed in an alley next to Lena's building and entered the front door. The doorman greeted her and let her pass, as Lena's instructions were to let her in whenever she came. She knocked on the door, but when she didn't receive a reply, she started panicking. For a brief moment, she thought Lena had already left but used her super hearing to make sure she wasn't at home. The sound of splashing water in Lena's shower made Kara's heartbeats slow down. She grinned like an idiot. She tried the doorknob, but it was locked. She could easily just jam it, but Lena wouldn't be blissful about it. She turned around, checking for some way in when she saw a window at the end of the corridor. It was wide enough to fit her. She climbed it off and floated to Lena's balcony hoping the window would be open. Otherwise, she would look like a fool tapping the window to catch Lena's attention while having a suitcase with her in her balcony. She found the window unlocked, opened only to leave a small space, enough for fresh air to fill the room. She pushed it further and then positioned it back as Lena had done. She positioned herself on the white armchair and waited for Lena. 

After five minutes, Lena exited the bathroom, utterly unaware of Kara's arrival. She walked in the living room only with a towel around her, the drops of the water sliding down her shoulders, and when she noticed Kara, she screamed. Her towel almost fell, but Lena was fast to catch it, preventing any revelations. She was out of breathing and Kara for a moment was worried she had a heart attack. 

"Kara, are you trying to scare me to death?" She said still out of breath.

"I'm so sorry I would have called you, but while I was fighting an annoying alien, I dropped my phone, and it got destroyed. I came here as soon as I could, and for a moment I thought you were gone." 

"No, but I was about to since you didn't answer. I thought you changed your mind." 

"Why would I change my mind?"

"I don't know." Lena shrugged, tightening her grip around the towel. Kara didn't have the time to speak because Lena was approaching her quickly with two wide concerned orbs. Her gaze was focused on Kara's forehead. Kara automatically got on her feet. She touched the spot softly around the plaster, and Kara felt her entire skin electrified. She wished Lena didn't notice her blush and she probably hadn't because she was too focused on worrying about the wound. Kara could smell fruits mixed with flowers on Lena's skin which didn't help with her frustration, at all. "How did this happen?" She asked, looking deep in Kara's eyes. The dim light of the floor lamp provided with a mysterious feeling in the atmosphere. It toned Lena's high cheekbones, that created a perfect line shadow below them, showing off her ideal jawline structure. Kara felt like she was under some spell. When Lena tilted her head, raising her eyebrow, Kara realised she hadn't responded to her question, and Lena had noticed that she was out of focus.

"It was an alien," She paused to find her words again, "he was strong and could fly, and he escaped the first time, flying out of the atmosphere, but when he returned, we fought, and he was tough, but we made it to capture him." She said. Lena's face was blank, and Kara couldn't decipher it.

"And he made you bleed with a punch?" Lena asked while trying to absorb it.

"Yeah, he was super strong. Why?" 

"I thought you were invincible. I thought only Reign could make you bleed with punches because she was Kryptonian. That your only weakness was kryptonite. How foolish of me thinking you're immortal." Lena said, and Kara listened to her heartbeat, raising worriedly fast. Her entire face screamed agony and fright.

"Rao, Lena calm down! Your panic is spilling over like a volcano." Kara tried to joke to calm her down, but it didn't. Then she tried again. "Lena look at me," Kara said, and she did immediately, "I'm not going anywhere. Yes, I am unaffected by anything human; a virus, a punch, or an explosion. Some aliens can't hurt me, but some others, they're as strong as me. And they can cause some damage but nothing that you should be concerned on. My only mortality if you want to call it like this, is kryptonite and time." She squeezed Lena's hand, and Lena felt her heart being stuffed in her chest as well. "And since I'm the luckiest person in the world, having a genius best friend that made for me an anti-kryptonite suit, I'm not planning on going anywhere for a long time." She gave Lena a reassuring smile which tried to hide her red cheeks after Kara's compliment. Kara though noticed and praised herself inwardly, for being the one that made Lena blush for once. "Now go get dressed because we got a plane to catch." Lena was taken aback. She lowered her face to check herself, and when she lifted it, she had even redder cheeks.

"I'm all this time in my towel, and you didn't say anything? Turn around!" She said in a high pitch which Kara found hilarious.

"But I already know what you look like fresh out of the shower," Kara said, leaving Lena all flushed. Now she understood why Lena enjoyed so much putting her in this position. Throwing Kara a dirty look, Lena walked to her bedroom to change quickly. When she came back, Kara took a minute to admire her.  _ Of course, she will travel at 10 p.m wearing a Diane von Fürstenberg dress.  _ Kara was dressed much simpler, in skinny jeans and a knitted white sweatshirt. Both their hair was still damp slightly wetting their coats. Lena dragged the suitcase to the living room and placed next to Kara's when they heard a knock on the door. Lena went to unlock, and the driver informed them it was time to go. He took their luggage with him to load them in the car.

"Miss Luthor, are you ready?" He asked before pressing the elevator's button.

She glanced at Kara, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"We are."


	6. J my old friend

The driver was amazed by Kara's convenience to lift the luggage and put them in the trunk. They weren't much, Lena had only packed a suitcase and a duffle and Kara just a briefcase, but the thick clothes weighted heavier. Mostly, Lena's bag was almost impossible to be lifted by the poor man, so Kara insisted on helping, even if he was uncompromising at first. During the entire ride to the airport, Lena was speaking on the phone, giving instructions to Jess about Sam's tasks during the time she would be absent. They made it just on time for the take-off. The stewardess greeted them politely, and after they settled in, she asked to fasten their seatbelts. Kara though felt uneasy. She had travelled again with Lena's private jet, but the last time she was forced to set up an entire play to hide her identity from her friend, and she felt guilty. At the same time, she was curious about the plane's, the one she designed, fate. Kara followed the stewardess's instructions and fastened her seatbelt even though she didn't need to. She was sitting right opposite of Lena who sent a text before turning her phone off. Her lips were pressed in a thin line even when her eyes met Kara's. Something was wrong, and her guilt and fear of going in another fight with Lena precluded her from asking. The plane started moving slowly to the runway and Kara looked out of the window. Everything was dark except for the lights on the runway. The jet stopped moving, waiting for another plane to land. They waited about five minutes when it finally took a turn, it suddenly raised the speed, and Kara's body was pushed back on the seat because of the inertia. She made a dash of the lights in the airport, and as the plane bounded, she turned her head to check Lena, who was holding tight on her seat, breathing nervously. When the plane soared in the air, she shut her eyes to perform a breathing control exercise. Kara checked around, confirming the stewardess couldn't see her and unfastened her and unclasped her belt to reach Lena. She knelt before her, despite the resistance she felt against moving since the aeroplane was almost vertical in the air.

"Lena? Are you okay?" She said and touching her hand softly. Her knuckles were white by her clenched grip on the seat's arms. 

"What do you think?" Lena snapped her eyes still shut. Her breathing exercise wasn't much help, and Kara felt the need to do something. She stroked the skin of her friend's soft hands tracing her prominent veins with her fingers.

"Where are we going to stay?" Lena opened her eyes, taken aback by the sudden change of subject. Her eyebrows creased in an attempt to focus on Kara instead of her fear. She took her time to respond.

"In my house." She stated through her clenched teeth.

"In Ashford?"

"No, a penthouse in Capital Dock in Dublin."

"How come not in Ashford?"

"Because Lionel sold the house. It was one of Lillian's conditions. It was either this, or they would take a divorce." Her grip was felt softer under Kara's hands now, and she inwardly plaudit herself for achieving to distract her.

"So how did you end up with a house in Dublin?"

"To avoid Lillian's authority, I attended one of the best boarding schools in the USA, which provided some of the best student exchange programs. I missed my mother a lot, and I thought going to Dublin would make me feel closer to her. Of course, Lillian never learned I was in Ireland. She thought I exchanged to some boarding school in Germany. Only Lionel knew, and when he saw my adoration for that place, he bought me an apartment in one of the best Dublin's neighbourhoods. Then at college, I participated again in exchange programs, and when my father saw my passion for science, he revealed he owned an organisation that tried to find a cure. As you can imagine, I was barely convinced to return to America and graduate from college. I felt I had a perfect life there. My dream was to graduate as soon as possible and then move in Dublin permanently. But when Lionel died, and Lillian learned about his property in Ireland, she changed completely the organisation's purpose claiming it wasn't profitable. Now it is expanded to the UK too as a clinic providing cancer therapy. I'm sure if the apartment wasn't handed down directly at me after my father's death, Lillian would have probably sold it." Lena looked much calmer now, her breathing was controlled as her heartbeat in a regular rhythm. The aeroplane climbed higher, and as it reached the crucial altitude, the stewardess announced that they could use their electronic devices again. Kara sat back on her seat after making sure Lena's panic was gone.

"Thank you," Lena said quietly, and Kara couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't recall you having aerophobia." 

"People make mistakes, machines don't." She stated simply, arching the corner of the lips. She was gradually recovering to her old playful self.

"What happened to your jet? It worked perfectly, didn't it?" Lena's smirk was immediately replaced by a neutral expression, masking her emotions. Kara felt sad and guilty for Lena's need to hide her feelings. She knew her question forced her to recall hurtful memories. Fingers playing with the hem of her dress accompanied with prolonged uncomfortable silence. She sighed and decided to speak.

"Every time I travelled on that plane, I remembered you..." She took a pause, choosing her next words carefully. " You protecting me from your secret and I couldn't stand it, so I sold it." Kara's heart ached as she saw the hurt in Lena's eyes. She would prefer it if Lena had just said "lying to me" than "protecting me" because it was what she deserved. Watching Lena's immense effort to move on only made her feel guiltier. Because she was unfair when she thought Lena wouldn't forgive her. She had underestimated how much their friendship meant to Lena, which lead to lies. And it wasn't one of those lies that become easier with repentance and in the end, become a habit. Every time she had to lie to her, she felt a pang of guilt and shame in her chest. 

Kara just nodded sadly, and Lena leaned forward to hold her hands and say something probably soothing, but Kara's word stopped her before doing so.

"I almost told you that day." Lena leaned back on her seat, her eyes burning on Kara's. "We were flying back to National City from Kaznia. You felt guilty for leaving me alone in that warehouse because you thought the explosion could kill me. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I took my glasses off and stood right behind you when you had your back turned to me, and I was more confident than ever to tell you the truth," Tears flowing at this point, "but then you opened up about your real feelings on Eve's betrayal, and I thought you would never forgive me, that I would be the reason you never trusted people again." She had an indefinable expression on her face which made it unable to Kara to control her tears, leaning her head forward to hide her sight. Lena, on the other hand, didn't move or say anything. She just observed her from her seat, and this time it was able to see without being preoccupied with her emotions. This time Kara's feelings were evident in her explanation. She recognised the loneliness in the way her hands clutched at her sweater, in the strangled sound of her sobs. Because the Kara chose the hurt and loneliness over protecting her friend from the responsibility her secret carried.

"Come here." A hint of Irish accent making its way into her heartbroken voice. Kara leaned forward, surrendering in Lena's warm embrace. They stayed like that until the flight attendant returned to offer them some champagne and told them about the menu options. Kara's eyes lighted up when she was served a tremendous amount of pasta with red sauce. It was the first time she enjoyed a meal on an aeroplane. Lena's jet included mostly kale and some other healthy options that Kara found disgusting. Of course, Lena went for a healthier option and had the salmon fillet with broccoli and brown rice. Lena said the flight was about 10 hours and in the meantime, they would need to take a fuel stop. Kara tried to stay awake to keep support in Lena in case she got panicked again, but she was exhausted after not sleeping at all the previous day, so she pushed the button to turn her chair in a bed dozed off. Lena took advantage of the quietness and started filling some reports on her laptop. 

A thunder made Kara jump up immediately. Her glasses were crooked, her hair was messy, and a duvet was wrapped around her. The lights flickered, and the turmoils made them jump annoying on their seats. Lena had tied her seatbelt, and her laptop was put back in her handbag. Kara expected her to have freaked out, but when she paid attention to her face, she saw a completely calm Lena, opposed to the Lena she saw earlier freaking out with the take-off. 

"How long has it been like this?" Kara asked. 

"Ten minutes, maybe more? I don't know."

"And you're so calm?" 

"Yeah, it's not like I am going to die anyway." Lena shrugged. "It was stupid of me earlier to think the plane could crash when I got Supergirl beside me." She whispered like confessing a vital secret to Kara. Then she cracked a broad smile making Kara's cheeks redder than Lena's signature ruby lipstick colour. 

"You seriously forgot about my abilities?" Kara tilted her head slightly, observing her friend startlingly.

"Well, at first, when I found out it was the only I thought every time I saw you. But now, after everything, I don't know, it's just that it slips my mind and every time I see you in your suit I'm like, oh, right Kara is Supergirl. Because for me you're just Kara. With or without superpowers, you're my friend, the person I love to spend my lunch breaks with, listening to your latest articles and nagging about Andrea's behaviour, the person I love to discuss L-Corp's latest projects." Kara's eyes glittered by the tears she was holding back. The thunders illuminated her face briefly, emphasising the formed crinkles in her forehead. "Even though you probably get bored every time I get into a detailed description of my inventions," Lena added, smiling gently and Kara who swept her tears away. A sudden agitation made their bodies jerk, but they remained as calm as the sea, after a summer downpour. The flight attendant's voice sounded from the speakers, asking them to stay to their seats and that they would soon get out of the storm, but they didn't even pay attention to her. They felt like nothing could disturb their peace in their own safe space even though outside there was a chaos of rain and thunders.

"Damn you, why do you have to make me emotionally overwhelmed every time, with your clingy show of affection?" Kara complained in a teasing way as an attempt to lighten the solemn disposition between them. Lena wore a shocked-offended face in such an exaggerated way that made Kara giggle. Her eyes big, looking like bull's eye eggs and her mouth wide covered by her wounded hand.

"I know your taste in movies and series Kara. You practically forced me to purchase Netflix subscription to watch your favourites during our sleepovers. You love someone being clingy, which I need to assert, I was not!"

"Stop embarrassing me!" Kara laughed and slapped Lena's bare knee playfully.

"I've embarrassed Supergirl!" She feinted a sarcastic wheeze with wide eyes and her banded hand before her mouth, making Kara giggle. "Looks like the evil Luthor genes I've inherited play out well."  _ Better than world domination.  _ Lena continued in her mind. She meant to be funny, but Kara's face fell, not amused at all.

"Stop that. You're not evil, Lena! You're one of the best people I know!" Kara protested crossing her arms like a disgruntled child which Lena thought was sweet and sincere. 

"I can't even crack a joke about myself without you being all chivalrous defending me even from myself." Lena mocked while Kara huffed, rolling her eyes. Stewardess's voice sounded again, informing them that they had passed the storm, but both of them were too absorbed to their conversation to even notice that the sky was clear. Only when the first sun rays enlighted the cabin, they realised. Lena yawned exhausted since she had been working during most of the flight. Her eyes slowly shut and when Kara noticed, she closed the shades and wrapped her with the duvet slowly without waking her up. In the meanwhile, Kara enjoyed the breakfast of the flight catering. She finished off her third pancake stack and her second cup hot chocolate. The stewardess came by to gather the plates and cups, eyeing her with a terrified look.  _ Kara's heart raced. Is there something on my face? Why is she so scared of me? Do I have some chocolate moustache?  _ She quickly grabbed a napkin, wiping her mouth and ran to the bathroom to check herself on the mirror. Seeing her clean reflection, she shrugged and returned to her seat.

Half an hour before the landing, Kara was forced to wake her up. Lena stretched on her seat, and then touched her neck, making a painful grimace while rubbing her crick. 

"Morning." She said with a grump while Kara reciprocated a grin. 

"I thought you were a morning person."

"Not until I have my caffeine dose. What time is it?" 

"12:30 p.m. We're landing in half an hour." 

"Bollocks." Lena hissed, now wholly awaken. She grabbed her cosmetic bag and bolted to the restroom while Kara was left with a confused face. When she saw the flight attendant passing again to gather any rubbish they might want to throw away, she ordered a black espresso for Lena and another stack of pancakes for her.

"We don't have any pancakes left, miss." The stewardess said considerably irritated. Kara couldn't understand the source of her anger, and she supposed she was just tired because of the 10th-hour flight.  _ Her job must be exhausting.  _ She thought. Kara noticed Lena was on her way back by the smell of the perfume she had just put on. She squeezed Kara's shoulder gently as she positioned herself on her seat. Lena had also put on some makeup and mascara and dark red lipstick. Her dark brown hair formed smooth waves. It was one of the rare times Kara had to chance to see her in her natural hair. It was always straightened stating strictness and formality. And it wasn't that Kara didn't like her businesswoman figure with the bold makeup and the expensive dresses, but she appreciated her the most when she wore casual clothes and didn't care about her image so much. She thought it was an honour that she could see Lena Luthor relaxed like that. She thanked Kara as she took a sip of the coffee. 

The landing was smooth without many turmoils. Lena was relaxed unlikely to the take-off. She felt safe with Kara, but she knew she wouldn't always have Kara with her when flying. When the pilot braced abruptly in the runway, in her opinion, she stated that she would design another plane, able to deal even with purple strikes. The flight attendant and pilot thanked them on behalf of the jet company while exiting the plane and climbing off the stairs. The car Lena had booked was already waiting for them a few meters away from the aircraft. The driver picked up their luggage and loaded in the trunk. When Kara saw him going to lift Lena's suitcase, she raised her arm, blocking her from doing so. 

"You need to be careful here. Robert, my driver in National City, has been working for the Luthor family for 15 years. I'm sure he has seen and heard much more than anyone should, but his professionalism and loyalty have kept him alive all these years." Kara looked shaken. "You look surprised, why? You don't think Lillian could have him killed like a fly?" Lena's tone was serious and professional. 

"Yeah but..." Kara tried to say, but Lena cut her off.

"Anyway, my point is Kara, you need to be more careful about hiding your identity. You can't trust people easily. Do you think it would look normal to him, a woman one-third of his size being easier than him to lift a heavy bag? And look at him, he doesn't even need your help." They both turned their attention to the man lifting the suitcase quickly and dropping it cautiously in the trunk. Even though he wore a suit, his toned muscles were visible, especially on his sleeves. He pushed the boot lid closed and turned his back to them, forming a polite smile on his face. 

"Hello, miss Luthor." They shook hands. "And?" He extended his arm to Kara, waiting for her to reciprocate.

"Miss Danvers." She smiled and shook hands with him. He opened the door for them to get in, and he circled the car, positioning himself in the driver's seat. He didn't ask for any directions and Kara supposed she had already texted him the address. Lena was silent the whole time deeply rapted in her thoughts, and Kara kept silence to give her some space. She didn't know much about Lena's past, but from the little, she had told her, Ireland meant lots to her and Kara assumed it awakened her some memories. And she was right because Lena's memories with her mother passed in front of her eyes along with the last one she had with her. She closed her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks. Remembering she wasn't alone, she quickly put on her sunglasses and fixed her posture. She hoped Kara hadn't noticed her sorrow because then she would try to cheer her up and didn't want to be a burden. She had seen how excitedly she had stuck her head on the window during the landing, admiring the view of the city. Kara was excited about this trip, and she didn't want to ruin it for her. 

The car pulled up out of the building, and the driver immediately stepped out, to open the door for them. By the time they stepped out of the car, he had already put their luggage on the ground. Kara lifted her head, observing the building. During their ride from the airport, she had noticed that most of the buildings weren't that tall. This one though was probably the tallest in the city. She looked at Lena who had a smirk on her face, while watched Kara's reactions.

"Seriously?" Kara said, and Lena gave her a broad smile. She thanked the driver, and when the porter eyed them, he walked fast and took their luggage. Kara though denied to pass him her suitcase and picked it up on her own. Before they step inside, a man on the street stepped in their way. 

"Lena Luthor is here!" The man screamed and put a camera right in front of Lena's face. The camera flash stroked, and Lena was glad she was wearing her glasses; otherwise, she would have been blinded. A group of reporters surrounded them in light speed, and the porter moved forward quickly to clear a path for Lena and Kara to pass. They both threw their heads down to cover their face, especially Kara. People already vilified and accused them of favouritism to Lena Luthor after posting positive articles about her. Watching them together in Dublin would cause the unnecessary hustle and bustle. But they didn't seem to notice her at all, and she was glad. As they stepped inside, two men of the security department ran to the exit to ward off the crowd. 

"Are you okay?" Kara asked softly to Lena, who was straightening her clothes. 

"Yeah, it's not something new to me. They hadn't bothered me for months now, but it seems my arrival in Ireland has caused some fuss." She answered and removed her glasses, setting them on the top of her head. Her eyes were in a darker shade than usual, Kara noticed. 

"How did they know that you would be here?" 

"I have no idea." Lena shrugged and kept walking to the lobby. Only then Kara got the chance to pay attention to the place. The entrance was precisely similar to a hotel's. A girl was sitting behind a desk on the left, looking busy on the computer. When she noticed Lena, she flushed a little, and Kara rolled her eyes. She was used to watching people desire Lena, but lately, it had become more annoying to her. 

"Miss Luthor!" She quickly stood up from the chair, straightening her skirt and extended her hand to Lena. "I'm a huge fan of you and your achievements. I'm currently studying business, and this is my part-time job." Lena shook her hand briefly and smiled at the woman. "I can't believe I get to meet you in person. I was overwhelmed yesterday when I saw the cleaning crew asking permission to clean your house." It was inevitable for Kara to not notice her Irish accent. She imagined Lena speaking with that accent.  _ Hot.  _ Realising the thought, she just made, Kara slapped her own cheek with force. The smacking sound drew their attention to her. Lena kinked her eyebrow as she tried to decipher what came over her friend. She had caught the receptionist's attention too, that looked like she had just realised Kara's presence. She threw her a nasty look and turned to admire Lena's face features.

"There was a fly," Kara claimed, and she knew it was convincing enough, but Lena let it slide.

"The pleasure is all mine. I don't usually meet people excited to meet me. I wish you luck with your studies. Being a woman in business can be difficult some times. But I firmly believe you will achieve everything you wish for." The girl looked like she was about to pass out. Her pupils were dilated in excitement. 

"You don't know how much this means to me. Could I have a selfie with you please?" Lena accepted promptly, and the girl circled the desk hurriedly. She looked at Lena like eyeing a Goddess.  _ Maybe because she is a goddess.  _ Kara shook her head, and she was sure if someone had seen her, she would probably look like a nutter that escaped from a sanitarium. The girl pressed her body on Lena's and clutched her hands on her waist while Lena just touched the girl's back gently. They took a bunch of selfies together, and Kara only noticed that the more selfies they took, the closer the girl's face was on Lena's.  _ Pathetic. _

"Thank you so much. This must be the best day of my life." The young receptionist shrieked and pushed Lena in a suffocating hug. Lena was caught off guard but put light pressure on the girl's body. She was the first to take a step back, and the receptionist tried to hide her disappointment. "Your private elevator is ready to use. We called the technician to come and check it by the time we saw your cleaning crew." The young woman said while rubbing with her knuckles nervously."

"Thank you." Lena smiled and walked to a sculptured wooden door that had an illuminated "PRIVATE" sign stuck above it. 

"Miss Luthor." She said to goodbye to her. Then she turned her attention again to Kara, and her smile immediately faltered and was replaced by a hatred look. "Miss?" She asked like pronouncing the most despicable thing in the world.

"Danvers," Kara answered drily and walked away with her chinned lifted like Lena used to do. She followed her to the door which Lena kept opened, waiting for her to cross it. 

"Miss Luthor?" The irritating, according to Kara, receptionist's voice sounded again. "I'll be here for... Anything you need." She said suggestively, and Kara was desperate to jump on that girl's neck. 

"Thank you," Lena said politely and closed the door. They were walking in a corridor with a red carpet, leading to an elevator's door and a staircase on the right of it. A golden chandelier with crystals hung above them, giving a victorian era feeling to the room. Lena pushed the call button, and the doors immediately opened. The elevator was wide enough to fit eleven people inside. Kara noticed there were only three buttons. The first one, leading to the penthouse, the second to the reception and the third to what she thought was a basement. They were both silent creating an uncomfortable tension between them. 

"What are you thinking of?" Lena was the first to break the silence. 

"Nothing, I'm just processing everything I've seen until now. You?"

"The receptionist." Lena blushed and turned to see a wholly shaken Kara. "Oh my God, not in that way Kara! It's just that..." 

"Do you like women?" Kara asked out of sudden, and now Lena was taken aback. She flushed and lowered her head, looking at her feet. She played with her rings nervously while Kara stared her blankly.

"Yeah. Both men and women. You?" Lena asked not able to look Kara directly in the eyes. Her face was fallen as she waited for an answer.

"I don't know. On Krypton we didn't even care about this as humans do. It was normal to choose whoever we wanted as a partner. We didn't even have these labels you do. Bisexual, gay, straight everything else, we didn't even have these words in our dictionary. When I landed here, I struggled to remember what all of these meant. So, since I've only dated boys, I would consider myself straight, but I don't know. I don't shut out anything." Lena's head was raised immediately, stunned by Kara's response.

"Aarrre...are you implying that you could be with a woman?" She stuttered.

"Yeah maybe," Kara said nonchalantly because she didn't think it was a big deal. Especially to her friend since she was attracted to women too. There was silence between them again before Kara deciding to ask what was itching her. 

"Are you attracted to the receptionist?" She finally asked. Lena looked bewildered. She arched her eyebrows, forming creases to her forehead.

"No. As I said before, I like her but not that way. And she's way too young for me. Why?"

"Because she covets you." Lena formed a tiny smile that turned to a grin, and in the end, an uncontrollable laughing that lasted for almost an entire minute. Kara thought it was irritating. She crossed her feet and let her weight fall on the elevator's wall while resting her hands on the suitcase's handle. When Lena noticed how unamused Kara looked, she forced herself to stop laughing and be solemn.

"Kara she's just a young girl that happened to meet a person she idolises." Lena protested.

"She looked at you like a God!" Kara yelled out of sudden. 

"Because she's studying business and knows about my achievements!" Lena returned angrily. Kara couldn't believe she was so blind. 

"All she knows is that you're gorgeous, and you would make a great sugar mommy for her." Lena looked confused and almost hurt. "You have eyes, but you don't see." She added in the end in a calmer tone. 

"Kara why are you talking like that? Wait are you..." She never finished the sentence, though.  _ No way, she can't be jealous. That would mean...  _ Kara looked expectantly to finish her sentence, but Lena knew if she told what she thought loudly, she would make everything uncomfortable between them. Her mind was quick to respond and as Lillian taught her how to lie flawlessly, "Kara, are you jet-lagged? Can you actually get jet-lagged? I don't even know." she added. Kara looked sternly at her, suspecting she wanted to say something else but decided not to push it any further and believe her. 

"I'm fine. It's just that so many people have hots for you everywhere we go; like there's not a single time we go out, and someone won't try to flirt with you, and you don't even realise it."

"And why do you care?" Lena was losing all her patience with her. She didn't know why Kara talked to her like that, but she wouldn't allow anyone humiliating her, mostly when she did well by them. Kara was silent, looking completely lost in her world, and the more Lena waited for an answer, the more she lost her composure. "Look I don't know what came over you, but if you think you can speak to me like that whenever something bothers you, you're deluded. If you didn't want to come with me, you shouldn't have insisted." Kara's face looked hurt like a kid being yelled by its mother. She opened her mouth to protest, but Lena continued. "If you regretted coming, it's okay, I will book you a flight immediately to return. But, I swear I'm not going to accept that behaviour of yours, ever again." The elevator's bell rang, and the doors opened. Lena stepped out immediately, leaving Kara behind with a bruised pride and heart. The corridor ended in another double door that looked heavier than the other. The porter had been waiting for them out of the apartment guarding Lena's luggage the whole time. She tipped him generously with some cash and Kara judging from his smile and gratitude, the sum was probably as much as his monthly salary. Lena fished the keys out of her bag and unlocked the door. She pulled her suitcase with the duffle inside and let the door opened for Kara without looking back. When she entered the apartment, she dropped her jaw. The apartment in National City was a rabbit hole compared to this one. The first thing Kara noticed was the vast glass partitions that offered the view of the entire Dublin. She had a perfect view of Tom Clarke Bridge and the River Liffey. She was sure at night, the sight was magnificent. On her left, there was a kitchen and a long counter made from marble set with the floor and further away, near the glass, an insanely long table. A staircase made of glass was placed between the living room and the kitchen. It consisted of a white circular couch, offering enough seats for an entire army to sit, a dark, massive, wooden library placed against the wall and before the sofa there was the strangest fireplace she had ever laid eyes on. It was circular, not put in a wall, looking like it was crafted during the Middle Ages.  _ Who has a damn circular firepit nowadays?  _ Every furniture was placed in a way that all together fitted harmoniously. There were three stairs to climb down to reach the fireplace and the couch around it. It reminded her of Krypton's decoration.

Lena's back was still turned to her, and without talking, she climbed the stairs. Kara knew she had crossed every line and she only hoped Lena could forgive her but to do so she needed a good explanation. And she didn't know how to give one because even she, didn't know what came over her. Using her super speed, she suddenly stood behind Lena, one step lower than hers and grabbed her wrist to spin her around. Lena flinched and almost lost her balance, but Kara caught her and helped her to stand. They were at the same height now. Lena's face still transmitted anger and pain. But most of all, she seemed surrendered and tired, making Kara's stomach clench. She felt guilty because she had no idea what Lena was through, and she was putting some extra weight on her shoulders instead of picking it up with her. She had to fix this.

"I'm so sorry, Lena. I have no idea what came over me. I shouldn't have talked to you like that, it's just that..." She took a long pause averting her eyes from Lena's to find her words because every time their eyes met, she tended to forget everything she had to say. Not knowing why she decided to be honest with everything she felt and thought was the reason. "I know it was unjustified and under no conditions, I don't expect you to pretend it never happened. I have to be honest with you, which is why I'm telling you honestly I don't know why I said all these terrible things. It's... It's just the way that was looking at me, full of hatred and then she was trying to get closer to you and most of the times people don't have pure intentions for the others, especially when they are all hot and bothered." Lena tried to stop herself from laughing and look severe, but she failed when a smile formed her lips. Kara was staring at her feet and didn't notice the change in Lena's look neither understood how everything she said sounded. "And they want to take advantage of you, not just for your money but physically too." Lena couldn't help but burst into laughter. Kara raised her head and watched her without understanding what caused this reaction.

"It's okay Kara. I knew you were jealous. I just had no idea it would be that much." 

"Me? Jealous? Why would I be jealous?" Kara put her hands on her waist the same way she did as Supergirl.

"Oh I don't know, that's up to you to decide," Lena smirked and turned her back on her to climb the stairs, followed by a protesting Kara. They walked through the corridors while Kara explaining the reasons Lena's claims were inaccurate, but when they entered Lena's bedroom, she stopped talking and fell in awe. It was by far the most oversized bedroom she had ever seen in her life. There was a massive bed in the middle of the room, placed on top of two wide stairs, while the roof was partly filled with illuminated tiles that fitted perfectly with the marble on the floor. There was a huge mirror, right opposite of the bed, and Kara had to stop her mind off going any further in her imagination. The balcony offered a great view of the city along with the infinity pool that would be anyone's dream to swim to one day. 

Lena watched pleased Kara's reaction and even more pleased about losing her words. Because she wasn't ready for the conversation and maybe she would never be. Turning it all on Kara was her getaway to having to admit her feelings for her friend. She had buried them deep down, and every time they threatened to come on the surface, she would avoid Kara for some time or repeat herself all the reasons why this could never happen. Then she would face Kara again and act generally like she wasn't forced to repress her feelings to save their friendship. She knew it wasn't a healthy coping method, but from risking their company again, it was for the best. "Darling, could you please bring the luggage?" Lena said sweetly to Kara who disappeared for a second and returned in a blink of an eye. She thanked her and guided Kara to the guest's room, showing her the place and explaining her to the shower's functions. 

"Rao, this is twice my whole apartment," Kara said, looking around her completely mesmerised. "And look at this view!" She said and walked to the window and then the bathroom. 

"I know the restroom has only shower if you need to take a bath feel free to use mine. I don't mind at all." Lena said with a worried face.

"Are you kidding me? This is going to be one of the best showers I've ever taken. Who needs a tub when you can shower and watch the entire city in the meantime." Kara said in awe, making Lena chuckle. Then she noticed there were no curtains except for the bedrooms. "Lena, why there aren't any curtains in the restroom?" 

"Why should they have curtains? It's the tallest building in Dublin. There's no chance some neighbour can watch you like in National City." 

"But what if someone bought a telescope? They can see you." Lena grinned broadly.

"I'm certain this is illegal, but even if they do... Well, there's nothing unpleasant for them to see." She said lewdly with a smirk and arched eyebrow. Kara's cheeks flushed, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth. At the same time, she felt some kind of electricity shaking her entire body ending up between her legs, making a particular spot throbbing. She felt naked under Lena's gaze who was resting her body on the door frame crossing her hands under her chest and observing Kara's reactions. They locked their eyes, neither of them intending to look away. Lena was testing her while Kara was swimming in foreign waters. She had no idea what was happening to her.  _ Stop it, now that you can. _ Lena said within and was the first to look away.

"Kara, as much as I'd love to spend the entire day here sleeping, we need to go to the funeral parlour and then we could take a walk and go to eat somewhere." Kara's stomach growled at the mention of food.

"Sounds great to me." She returned. They took a shower and wore fresh clothes. Lena was much simpler dressed than before, in her dark blue skinny jeans and a black blouse with a grey pattern. Kara changed to another pair of jeans and a pink scalloped trim sweater. When they were done with their preparation, they entered the elevator again, and this time Lena pushed the reception's button. Kara noticed she had straightened her hair. 

"We need to stop at the reception first because I lost the garage key that opens the door, and I need a new one." Kara assumed the other button in the elevator led to the garage. She followed her in the corridor, and when Lena pulled the door open, to Kara's relief, the receptionist wasn't there. She had been replaced by a man. The girl had mentioned it was her part-time job, and they changed their shifts regularly, which made Kara sigh in alleviation. He promptly gave Lena a new pair of keys, and they headed back to the corridor, this time taking the stairs. Kara's eyes were met with various styles of expensive cars parked in specific positions.

"Don't tell me all of these are yours." 

"What? Of course not. I only possess a car here." Lena chuckled.

"Only one? How come?" She didn't respond. Instead, she stood in front of a hooded car. The hood had a large emblem of a horse, even Kara could recognise well. 

"A Ferrari? Seriously?" Kara shook her head. "Of course the only car you have in Ireland costs as much as hundreds of cars together." She never cared about cars, but Alex was passionate about cars and especially bikes, and she had taught Kara some things about vehicles. 

"What can I say? I was a wild youth." Lena shrugged.

"I'd love to hear more about that."

"Help me pull the hood, and I'll show you something, reporters would kill to publish." Kara grabbed the edge of the hood hastily, and Lena chuckled with her reaction. They let the hood fall on the ground as they uncovered the black car.  _ What's Lena's thing for black cars?  _ Kara folded the grey cover and stored it in a locker Lena indicated. She entered the car and sat on passenger's seat pulling down the door. She thought it was weird that they constructed cars that doors opened that way. Lena inserted the key in the starter and pressed the start engine button. The car's engine immediately roared, making Kara's ears almost bleed while Lena's skin was full of goosebumps.

"You like this noisy car, don't you?" Kara said, covering her ears with her hands. The echo in the basement only made it worse for her.

"Can you blame me? The sound of a V12 engine is magical."

"Rao, I'm looking forward to the day you people evolve and create electric cars."

"And I guess you've already had them in Krypton." Kara felt uneasy. Her heart was pounding because she wasn't used in discussing it with anyone else except Alex. She was afraid Lena would get angry if they talked about it because it would remind her Kara's lies, but she seemed utterly calm and intrigued.

"Yeah, we did. And generally, our science was much more evolved than yours. When I came here, I was struggling with learning the language, learning your history, traditions and culture, but when it came to sciences, it was for children. Everything you learn in high school, we learned it in the early stages of primary school. But of course, I had to pretend I was like the rest. Sometimes I would even get B on tests on purpose, to not drag any suspicions. Later I learned that you still haven't solved major problems such as Hodge conjecture and Riemann hypothesis while we used their conclusions daily." Lena was startled, which made Kara start panicking.  _ You idiot, you overshared information, and now she will think you have some superiority complex or something! _

"So every time I talked to you about my experiments, and you pretended you didn't understand a thing, you did?" Lena asked her face blank, hiding her thoughts and emotions.

"Yes but please Lena let me explain to you..." Lena suddenly moved forward and enveloped Kara in a stifling hug. This reaction was the least Kara expected and was so stunned that she didn't even hug her back.

"You don't know for how long I have wished to find a genuine friend that can understand science's language. Not that it's so important, but it's the best feeling in the world, sharing with your beloved ones your passions and being able to understand you!" She said enthusiastically, and Kara smiled widely. She never thought Lena would be so excited about everything that had to do with Krypton, especially after hiding her secret. Only with Alex had the chance to speak about it but even her sister, couldn't understand completely. Even if Alex was well educated and smart, she didn't possess the pieces of knowledge about science that Lena did. She felt like she could be herself with Lena. Her real self. Neither Kara Danvers nor Supergirl. Just Kara Zor-El. They shared a tense eye contact that lasted for some long time, and before it became awkward, Lena decided to speak again. "So, I don't think I'll ever like electric cars but if it's for the environment's sake...I'll replace them." She shrugged.

"I'm sure you will find a way to create a loud car and environmentally friendly too. I can't imagine you driving a quiet car. Rolls Royce in National City, Ferrari in Dublin and I don't know what else you have up your sleeve. People on the streets will miss your loud exhausts." Kara teased.

"What can I say? The louder, the better." Lena suggested with a smirk on her face and Kara was sure it had a double meaning which made her blush and played nervously with the hem of her sweater. Watching Kara blush like that made Lena's heart flutter. She pushed the gas pedal and drove them out of the garage. They spotted a bunch of journalists waiting in the building's entrance for Lena. They were glad that the parking's exit was a few meters away, and the dark black shade of windows prevented them from being spotted. Lena's driving was calm, even though there was much traffic, she remained patient.

Kara found it hilarious every time they stopped in a traffic light, people would turn their heads to admire the car. Of course driving a Ferrari LaFerrari, an insanely expensive car drew attention but Kara couldn't understand why people cared so much about cars. For her, they were just machines, making transportation easier for people. They were on the highway, and as the weather was getting worse, they spotted a massive traffic jam ahead of them. Lena checked the right side mirror and quickly manoeuvred, changing the road strip, cutting a car up. The driver honked and yelled angrily at them, but Lena sped up and turned to a cutoff, leaving the highway behind them. They were driving in a neighbourhood. It was 4 p.m, and many children were returning home from school. The rain was falling more massive now, making it more difficult for Lena to see the road. She drove even slower to prevent some accident since many teenagers and kids waited on crossroads with their umbrellas and hoods on.

"Damn I forgot to bring an umbrella with me." Kara suddenly jumped on her seat.

"Don't worry, I always have a pair in this car." 

"You have umbrellas in your car and not a TV in your house." Kara retorted sarcastically.

"I never watch TV. Actually no, that changed after you. But anyway, I didn't need a TV when I bought it."

"Yeah, I thought so". Kara sighed sadly. Lena couldn't understand her love for the TV and movies and series, she always preferred books. "Wait! You said you bought? I thought it was Lionel's gift." Lena stayed tense and silent for a while, cursing inwardly for letting it slip her mouth. 

"I lied." Kara's brows furrowed, forming two wrinkles on the skin between them. "I was embarrassed to say that Lex bought me an apartment. Only Lillian didn't know about Dublin at first. Because Lex adored my birth mother too. He bought me an apartment in Donnybrook which I sold after he got in jail. I hated him for a long time, and every time someone hurts me, I try to get rid anything that has to do with them."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Kara said, hiding a bit of hurt in the sentence. Lena stopped in a traffic light again, and some children looked at the car in awe, taking pictures of it. 

"It's my coping mechanism." Lena shrugged and turned to look at Kara's face. "Anyway, I knew about an upcoming project to upgrade the Dublin docklands and that they were searching for investors, so I bought the entire project. The building was completed in 2018, but my apartment was the first to be built, so I stayed there for the first time after New Year's Eve in 2016. I needed an escape from Jack too, and Dublin was my escape."

"So you own the entire building?" Kara looked impressed.

"Not anymore. I sold some of the apartments for residential usage and some others to companies that needed new offices, but I kept some of them for rental." Lena took a left turn, and they entered a thumping parking lot. The car's roar drew everyone's attention. A couple was sitting on a couch probably waiting for their vehicle. The boy stared at the Ferrari with a mix of jealously and admiration while the girl expectantly waited to see who drove it. Lena stepped out graciously on her high heel boots with sparking confidence and power. The guy was shamelessly checking her out, his jaw-dropping, while sitting next to his girlfriend. Lena hadn't even noticed them sitting there. His girlfriend caught him red-handed and slapped his shoulder.

Kara watched everything in amusement this time, shooking her head when they saw them pick up a fight. The entertainment though, was soon over as the valet brought their car and left. Lena handed the keys to the man of the staff who drove the car carefully in an elevator. They waited for him to return with her keys. The persistent cold of November made Lena's hairs stand high, and she wore her thick, expensive black coat. Kara was focused on the elevator. It was the first time she saw a parking lot with an elevator for cars. She turned to ask Lena if there were such elevators in National City too, but when she saw her concentrated on her phone, she remembered her promise earlier. 

"Lena, you said earlier you would show me something about you," Kara said, and Lena's eyes flashed as she remembered. She scrolled up quickly, passing hundreds of photos having a smirk the whole time. Finding the one was searching for, Lena gave the phone to Kara looking around her cautiously like she was passing secret files of the DEO. When Kara held the phone, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was a video with a completely alternate Lena, wearing a black fishnet long sleeve shirt, leather wristbands with silver thuds on them and black gloves that left her long slender fingers exposed. Her make up had nothing to do with the one she wore nowadays. Her eyes were toned with a black liner, having drawn a weird shape below the one eye and her lips were toned with glossy black lipstick. She was on the decks of some bar, playing a house beat adjusting the lights and vibrations in the controller and when she noticed they were video recording her, did a sign of the horns with her hand and stuck her tongue out. Glitter on the centre of her tongue caught Kara's attention.  _ No way! Emo Lena! _

"You had a tongue piercing? For real?" Lena nodded multiple times, entertained by Kara's reaction.

"I still have a scar." She stuck her tongue out to Kara, who immediately noticed a small scar.

"Can you still wear jewellery?" 

"I don't think so. I've had it for many years, but tongue piercings heal insanely fast."

"Damn! You were so rebellious!" Kara said still trying to absorb Lena's emo version.

"I know, right. Had Lillian seen me like that, she would banish me to hell."

"You mean she never saw you like that?"

"No. I was in students exchange program when I decided to rebel." The valet was back with Lena's keys. She thanked him, and they put up their umbrellas as they exited the building. They strolled in the pavement, enjoying their stroll even if the weather was cold and rainy. After a while, Lena indicated to Kara a small funeral office. They folded their umbrellas and stepped inside.  _ So depressing.  _ Kara thought as she looked at the decoration. It was her second time being in such a place. It hadn't been long since she had to plan Jeremiah's funeral with Alex. The man was sitting behind the desk, saw them and immediately stood up, extending his hand politely to greet them. They sat down to the chairs before the dark brown wooden desk. 

"I'm the funeral's manager and owner of this place. What can I help you with?" He said in an Irish accent.

"I'd like to plan the funeral of my mother."

"I'm sorry for your loss." He tried to look sad, but it was too evident he was bored. "You must be in bits. Losing a parent is always tough." He tried to show some empathy and Lena seemed bothered especially from the fact that he thought he had figured out her entire life. Kara, on the other hand, tried to understand what the man said. His Irish dialect felt odd to her.

"Nah, I'm grand actually. My mother and I didn't have the best relationship." He was surprised at first and then looked a bit annoyed by Lena's response. He disapproved her disrespectful manners without even caring to know why someone would dislike their parent so much. People always liked making their assumptions without having any clues. Kara trapped Lena's hand in her own, drawing soothing circles on the bare skin next to the gauze as an indication of support. She wanted to know that she was there for her. She wasn't alone. The man typed something on his computer and asked her name.

"Lena Luthor." She stated without any emotion, like introducing herself to the boardroom. 

"Janey Mack! You're the billionaire that bought the Capital Dock?" He asked in astonishment.

"I'm confident to believe so." She retorted sarcastically. 

"Miss Luthor, I'm a huge admirer of you. I'm so glad for having you in my office. Please would you like to drink something? Your partner maybe?" He turned his attention to Kara, who taken aback by his assumption and only shook her head negatively. If Lena wasn't stunned about the word "partner", she would feel disgusted by his change of behaviour. Because she hated when people treated her differently for her money and social status. 

"No, thank you. And this is a friend." She said calmly, but Kara knew it was only a mask to hide her confusion.

"I'm sorry miss Luthor, you just seem very close and I got the wrong impression." His eyes were on their interlocked fingers. Lena immediately let her hand go, which Kara found upsetting.

"Can we skip to the important matters please?" Lena said impatiently. 

"Yes, yes, of course, I'm sorry miss Luthor." He repeated the name Luthor as his life depended on it, and every time he did, Kara could hear Lena's heartbeat speeding up in anger. He opened a brochure with caskets for Lena to choose. She couldn't understand the point of buying an expensive coffin since it would end up rotting under the ground, but she ordered the best they had to honour Lillian. She didn't want her spirit haunting her dreams for getting a cheaper one. 

"Where's your mother's body now?" 

"In Mater Private hospital's morgue."

"Do you want us to pick her up?" The man asked, and Lena almost huffed in irritation. She had dealt with idiots in the business market and had learned to control herself, but this man was by far the worst she had met. 

"As I mentioned before, we didn't have the best relationship, so yes I want you to pick her up and put her in a coffin and bury her on Sunday!" She did a wave in the air to indicate it was the simplest thing in the world. This man's stupidity was driving her crazy.

"I'm sorry miss Luthor, but I am forced to ask because this is the typical procedure." He said and continued noting the details on his computer. Lena rested her head on her hand that was placed against the chair's arm. She was getting a migraine.

"And your mother's name?"

"Lillian Luthor." 

"Stall the beans, the same Lillian Luthor that owns the Mater Private hospital chain?" Lena took an enlarged breath to keep her composure.  _ And one plus one equals two.  _ She said yes quietly, and after hearing the man's praises about the significant contribution of her mother's hospitals, he continued typing with the speed of a turtle. "What kind of funeral would you like to do?" He asked.

"Humanist funeral." She answered. Then he asked for more details about it and the number of people that would attend. Knowing her mother had no friends or family, she said only two and informed him that they would just take her to the cemetery on Sunday, to bury her without a ceremony. They spent an entire hour because of the man's slowness. 

"Eejit." Lena cursed as she stepped out of the office. She checked the time on her wrist, and it was almost 5:30 p.m. The sun had set nearly an hour ago, but the sky had still some light.

"Eejit?" Kara asked as she stood next to her with a bright smile.

"It's a curse word in Irish slang. It means "idiot"." The rain had stopped now, but the high humidity accompanied by the cold gave chills to Lena. She tied the belt of her coat tightly.

"Eejit uh? What else do you know, miss Luthor?" Kara said and approached Lena to walk arm in arm. Lena chuckled at the whole performance. 

"Langer is an idiot too, miss Danvers." It was Kara's turn now to laugh.

"What else?"

"Gobshite is another..." They took a shortcut walking through St. Stephen's Green park. Kara liked the place even though she couldn't see much of it and Lena promised that she would take her there tomorrow for a walk. They walked some more miles in Dublin's centre because Lena wanted to take Kara to her favourite restaurant offering the most delicious Irish food in her opinion. When they entered the restaurant, the porter greeted them and indicated a small table in the back that Lena thought was perfect for remaining unrecognised. When they were about to take a seat, Lena heard someone calling her name.  _ Damn not more reporters. _

"Lena Luthor, all classy and snob now." She heard another female voice. When she saw the table, the voices were coming from she was speechless. Kara for a brief moment thought she would have to throw punches or take Lena out of there immediately but when she saw the huge grin on her faced she realised they were friendly.

"Oh my God, it's been donkey's years since I've seen you!" She said in a high pitched voice and walked with open arms to embrace her friends. Kara noticed that Lena had started using some Irish phrases since they stepped their foot in Dublin, and by the time, her accent was more intense. She didn't try to change it anymore. 

"C'mere!" Said one of the two girls. She looked much similar to Lena, except for her eyes that were light brown. She had fair skin, black hair and was at the same height as her. She pulled Lena in a tight hug rubbing her back at the same time in a friendly way. They parted, and the girl's attention fell on Kara. Lena noticed and introduced them.

"Kara these are my friends from college. I met them during my exchange year."

"We were all Trinners." The guy said enthusiastically. 

"He means we attended Trinity University," Lena added to help Kara understand.

"I'm Ciara." The black-haired girl said an extended her hand. 

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kara," Kara said politely returning the girl's wide smile.

"And I'm Sean." The guy said and shook hands with Kara. They looked at her with glowing eyes, really excited to meet her.

"What about me?" The other girl said, and they turned to look at her. She had a pout on her face and look at Lena with a complaint. Then she chuckled, and Lena pulled her in a hug. And then Kara noticed the way Lena surrendered herself in the girl's hug. The way the girl's hands held Lena firmly on the waist, lower than friends usually touched. And Kara felt the need to go and grab that woman and throw her in the space, but of course, she wouldn't do that. She had no right to do so, and she didn't even know why she felt such a need. Lena was her friend, and having an affair with someone, should make Kara happy about her, not jealous. She wouldn't allow herself to become one of those toxic friends that messed with their friends' love life. So she put her brightest smile on and waited to introduce herself.

"Nessa, this is my friend Kara." Of course, Kara noticed that Lena felt the need to introduce her as a friend to the girl and not the others. Nessa was pretty and elegant. She had long ash-blond curls, fair skin and light blue eyes. Her face was so symmetrical that made Kara wonder how come she was not a model. Her style was much similar to Lena's but less expensively and formally.

"Nice to meet you." The girl said, and Kara smiled politely. The waiter came to prepare the table Lena and Kara had sat at first, but her friends insisted on sitting with them, and so did they. Kara loved meeting new people and as an extrovert didn't have a problem with that. She sat next to Lena and next to Lena sat Nessa, while the other two sat opposite of them. Firstly, they asked Lena the reason for her appearance in Dublin, and when she told them, they offered her their condolences. Then they complained about Lena disappearing and told them about Lex and how she had to take over his company and fix the damage he caused. Then their attention turned to Kara, and she felt nervous under their gaze, especially Nessa's who looked like was sizing her up. They asked some basic questions about her job and her life in National City, how she met Lena and never asking something too personal except Nessa, who asked her if she had a boyfriend. Kara denied, and the Sean and Ciara joked about how Lena hadn't made a move. But Lena explained they were just friends and Kara was straight. Even though Kara had told her indirectly, she wasn't sure. It was like Lena had pushed it entirely off her mind like it never referred. The waiter came to receive their orders. Everyone recommended Kara to try Irish stew but Lena knowing her taste she suggested to go with something more British like fish and chips. But Kara chose the stew. Lena, on the other hand, ordered shellfish, and that gained her friend's teasing.

"Missed the fish?" Sean said lewdly, arching his thick light brown eyebrow. He was a handsome guy, with green eyes, many shades darker than Lena's and chiselled jawline, so sharp that could cut glass. Observing his jawline, Kara thought of Lena's and turned her face to see her. Her long hair covered her jawline and cheeks and struggled to not raise her hand and put a strand behind her ear. She noticed someone's eyes burn on her and turning her face slightly, she saw Nessa looking at her with an indecipherable look.

"Maybe someone should remind its taste to her," Nessa said out of nowhere, forcing Kara to focus back on their conversation. Lena choked on her wine and coughed roughly. She wanted to bury herself under the earth and disappear forever.  _ But the only one getting buried is Lillian.  _ Kara had no idea what they were talking about, and she thought it was something Irish she couldn't understand. After they changed the subject, Lena found the chance to speak to Kara.

"Do you like this place?" She leaned closer to her, speaking lowly while the others shared an intense disagreement about amongst them was the wildest when in college. They ended up agreeing Lena was, forcing her attention to them before Kara could answer her.

"I don't know about you lads, but I believe oul wan Lena is more terrifying than goth Lena," Sean said, and they all laughed except Lena who looked slightly annoyed. Sean was the jester of the group, always trying to make everyone laugh and feel intimate. Even people that had just met, like Kara.

"Gowl!" Lena said annoyed and finished the rest of her Chardonnay. Nessa immediately filled her glass with the bottle.  _ Rao.  _

"Kara," Ciara called drawing Kara's attention to her. "What do you think of this place? Do you have such places in National City?" She asked, genuinely intrigued.

"I think this place is amazing. I love the victorian style and the furniture, it's not something you get to see in National City."

"I discovered a new place recently very close to CatCo in the same style as this. I just didn't get the chance to tell you." Lena said, and Kara knew she implied that she hadn't told her because they didn't speak to each other that time. A sad expression formed on Kara's face, which she quickly altered to a smile.

"I'd love to go some time." She said and squeezed Lena's arm softly, getting sure Nessa had noticed that too. The waiter approached them with their plates. When Kara's dish was served, she understood why Lena recommended her fish and chips. But when she tried it, to their both surprise, she liked it. The portion though was too small for her, but of course, asking an extra plate in front of Lena's friends would seem peculiar. She hoped she would find something in Lena's fridge except broccoli, spinach and kale. Lena picked an oyster graciously with her slender fingers and added some lemon to it. She moved it a bit with a tiny fork to make sure it was detached from the shell. Then she lifted her head slightly, putting it on her lips to let it slide inside her mouth and chewed it. Sean nudged Nessa without taking his eyes off Lena. When she noticed them mocking her, she eyed them angrily.

"Oh here she comes, effin' and blidin'!" Sean said dramatically.

"Get off the stage, little bitch." Lena said, pretending to be angry, but they knew she was just messing. Kara though was surprised hearing cursing like that. They had known each other for four years, and she had never spoken like this to anyone. But then she realised she had never seen her counteracting with her friends. She was doing impeccably with Kara's friend, at least before her latest actions, but they were precisely that. Kara's friends. With Sam, they were close but not that much and with Kara, things were different. From both parts, they were close but in a sweet way. Not even once Lena had cursed Kara or the opposite. Kara had read about being Platonical in love with someone but didn't understand how that was possible until she met Lena.  _ And that's all between us, a Platonic love.  _ Almost everyone had finished their dinner, but Kara ate too slowly so she wouldn't move any suspicions about her appetite. Her stomach complained to speed up, but she didn't. Lena had finished almost all of her oysters, putting them upside down on the other side of her plate but she was full, and only two were left. Kara eyed them and was about to ask Lena if she could try it, but Nessa prevented her and without even asking she picked an oyster from the plate. She poured some lemon and some chilli sauce Lena hadn't touched at all and closing her eyes she sucked the flesh from the shell. Without chewing at all, she swallowed it.

"So deadly." She moaned and opened her eyes slowly, looking at Lena who was pale. The others had the same bemused face as her. Kara didn't know why she made it look like a porn movie. Not that she had seen much of it in her life, but some times, especially before her first time with a guy, she was curious about sex. Kara remembered explicitly a scene that started with a woman licking banana, and that was the last time watching porn. She hated it, and she thought Nessa was gross and ridiculous.  _ And so was Lena. Wasn't she? _ Lena leaned forward to pick her glass of wine, but Nessa's put her hand on hers to touch the gauze. She asked what happened and Lena told her. 

"My poor, Lena." She said having a pout on her face as she stroked Lena's wrist gently. Kara wanted to punch her face at this point.  _ She deserves much better than this hoe.  _ Sean and Ciara __ were absorbed in their conversation. She had to stop this circus, so she decided to intervene. She tapped Lena's shoulder, and Nessa threw her a dirty look, but Kara couldn't care less. Lena turned her head to her.

"Lena, are you going to eat this?" She pointed it at shellfish. 

"No, do you want it?" Kara shook her head, affirmatively. "It's all yours then. Have you eaten oysters again?" 

"No.," Kara said. Kara heard the voidness that followed after Ciara and Sean had stopped talking, their attention probably on them, but she didn't turn to check by herself because she was too focused on her friend.

"Here let me show you." Lena held the small fork on the one hand and the shellfish on the other. "First of all, you need to hold the oyster evenly; otherwise, it will get spilt. Then with the fork, you need to move the flesh cautiously to make sure that it's not stuck on the shell, without spilling the oyster's liquor." Kara shook her head, paying close attention feeling like she was about to perform some chemistry experiment at school. Lena put back the oyster and the fork to let Kara do it herself. Kara did it unexpectedly well without spilling much of the liquor. "Good," Lena said, making her feel proud. "Now, most people add some sauce or lemon. The problem is that they add way too much sauce, to the point they can't even taste the oyster anymore. You need to add a particular amount of lemon or sauce or both. I'd recommend that your first oyster should be bare, without any sauces but it's much salty, and you might don't..." Lena was cut off by Kara's next deed. Without adding any lemon or sauce, she lifted her head slightly and sucked the oyster, while Lena's eyes fixed on her lips. Then she chewed it and put the shell upside down on the plate. 

"That was good," Kara said and licked her lips. Lena's eyes were still on them, her owns half parted. When she realised what she had been doing, she turned her head abruptly and drank the rest of her wine in one gulp. Nessa was the one to fill her glass again.

"Maybe, sweet Kara here has some hidden talents," Sean said suggestively. Lena rubbed her temple, Kara tried to understand what he meant, Nessa threw spiteful looks at him, while Ciara was the only one that laughed at his joke.

"What do you mean?" Kara asked, and Ciara with Sean burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Lena?" She turned to Lena, who denied to look at her. Because talking about sex with Kara, was too much for her to handle. So Kara never got a response, and it hurt her but didn't show it.

"Kara sweetie, you're so innocent!" Ciara said while calming down from her excessive laughter. "Oysters are often compared to the vagina. Sean meant that you might like eating a woman out since you like shellfish." Kara was astonished, and probably something with her reaction was funny because they started laughing again, even Nessa. Except for Lena, who was now looking at Kara intensely.

"Okay. Does it taste like an oyster?" Kara asked Lena innocently. Cursing inwardly, Lena asked the universe what wrong she had done to deserve this punishment. And then she remembered that it all started since she joined the Luthors. Of course, the universe would punish her for that. Even if she hadn't done anything to hurt people, she would still get punished just for being a Luthor. Maybe Hinduists were right, and Karma was real, after all. 

"Well... It... Itt ddepends." She stuttered.  _ You're Lena Luthor, since when you're faltering!? _

"Plain raw oysters if she's clean." Nessa jumped in looking at Lena suggestively, and she couldn't hold back this time but smirk herself too. And then Kara realised how close they were. She knew since she saw their interaction at first, but she wanted to believe it was just her imagination and Nessa had just a crush on Lena. Hoped her friend wouldn't fall such low. She felt like drowning.  _ Paying a hooker would be less painful than this.  _ An uncomfortable silence followed, and no one knew what was appropriate to be said after that. But after a while, Sean tried to save the situation.

"So, Kara and Ciara are both straight and single, Lena and Nessa are bi and single, and I'm gay and the only with a boyfriend. In conclusion, you should all consider it to become gay." He said laughing, but it felt like rubbing salt into the wound. Lena, though was excited to learn the news. She asked for more information about him while Ciara and Kara had a conversation about their past relationships. Kara's mood was a little improved when the waiter arrived with the dessert. 

"How's she cuttin' in the USA? I've heard you have aliens there." Sean dropped out of sudden.

"Yeah, we do have some," Lena replied.

"Aren't you people afraid that someday they might rebel against you?" Kara felt uneasy. She lowered her head, picking up some of her Bailey's cheesecake with her spoon without the slightest willingness to eat it. She always adored desserts, not a single day passed without eating her desserts, but suddenly she had lost her appetite. Lena noticed and tried to change the subject, but Sean insisted on asking questions about aliens.

"Most of them are friendly and adjust perfectly in our society. They're not much different than us." Lena explained.

"But I've heard some of them are much threatening to the world. I remember an entire army of aliens almost conquered National City." Lena felt herself boil at her friends' persistence. Mainly, to such a hurtful matter for her but she couldn't ask him to stop asking questions without them suspecting something about Kara. 

"Yeah, true but we have Supergirl saving us every time," Lena said smiling and turned to look at Kara in admiration. Kara's heart skipped a beat, knowing that her friend cherished that part of her. As she gazed the others, she caught a glimpse of Nessa who was observing their interaction with a narrowed look.

"I think Supergirl wouldn't stand a chance against all these threats without having Lena's help." Their jaws dropped when they heard that.

"You're working with Supergirl?" Nessa shrieked, a hint of jealousy in her voice, that Kara overjoyed.

"Yes." 

"Oh, my God! Lena, I can't believe you get to work that goddess in person. I've only seen her on TV, and she's breathtaking, she looks like Freyja!" Ciara screeched. Lena kinked her eyebrow at Kara, as she watched her having a massive smirk on her face, utterly pleased with Ciara's compliments.

"Don't mind her, she's obsessed with history, which is what she studied. She has a huge crush with Norse mythology." Sean said.

"Oh, I don't mind her at all," Kara replied with a broad shiny smile.

"Can you blame me? Most of their history is about blonde tall gods and goddesses with blue eyes." Ciara replied, salivating her mouth. 

"She's not the only one crushing on blondes," Sean stated and threw a cunning look on Lena and Nessa, taking a sip of his wine. Kara heard Lena's heartbeat pick up, and the ruffling of her fingers through her hair was followed by a sigh. She took a sip of her wine, avoiding to look at anyone, especially Kara.

"No way!" Ciara shouted, making some people turn their heads towards their table. The alcohol was already affecting her. Sean told her to speak quieter. "You two?" She pointed at Lena and Nessa. "And you, little bastard, knew?" She fixed her index at Sean's chest whose face was slier than before.

"It's been long since then, and it wasn't an official thing. Sean only knew because he...." Lena paused, trying to find the right words. But Nessa stepped in.

"Because he caught us wearing each other's face off." She said boldly while looking at Kara for a reason she didn't understand. She felt like Nessa was expecting some reaction from her and looked like she took what she wanted because she smiled proudly and turned her attention to a flushed Lena, who took a great gulp of her wine.

"Lena, are you going to drive? I can give you a ride." Nessa recommended suggestively.  _ That was the reason she's been irrigating her with wine the whole night.  _ Kara felt like throwing up.

"It's okay, we'll call a Jo Maxi," Lena said, still avoiding Kara's face.

"I'll drive," Kara stated decisively, and everyone turned to see her. Even Lena was now looking at her astounded. Nessa's stern look tried to intimidate her which Kara found more hilarious than intimidating. After being Cat's assistant, no one could scare her. 

"Okay, guys, I think we should call it a night," Sean recommended and asked the bill from the waiter. Lena insisted on paying, but the others didn't let her. Nessa and Sean helped Ciara stand up and walk out of the restaurant decently while Kara followed them, leaving Lena behind. 

"Savage craic was tonight!" Sean said, and Kara didn't understand fully what he meant but assumed from his smile, it was something positive. "On Saturday we will go to Bettystown for horse riding. Please join us." He continued while looking at both Kara and Lena expectantly. 

"Sean, I don't think Kara would..."

"We're coming!" Kara cut her in abruptly surprising them again.

"We'll see you there!" They hugged each other briefly and parted out of the restaurant. While walking away, Sean turned on his heels and shouted "Saturday" for confirmation. Lena and Kara waved at him positively. When they were left alone, Kara walked beside Lena going a significant distance between them. They walked in an uncomfortable silence neither of them attempting to say something. The walk to the parking lot felt eternal, especially to Kara, who wanted to run as far as possible from her friend.  _ Finally.  _ Kara thought when she saw the parking lot. They stepped in, and Lena passed the keys to the valet. Lena went to pay the bill while the elevator's doors opened again and the valet climbed off the car, handing the keys to Lena. His face betrayed his excitement for getting the chance to drive, even for just a bit, a limited-edition supercar.

"Keys." Kara snapped, extending her arm to Lena. Her face was blank. Even now, she could control herself enough to keep her posture. She handed Kara the keys and sat in the passenger's seat. She fastened her seatbelt and waited for Kara with crossed arms. Lena thought Kara wouldn't manage to start the car, but she had paid close attention before and remembered how to do it. She inserted the keys in the starter and turned it to give power to the car and then she pushed the brake pedal and pressed the start engine red button with her left thumb. The car's engine roared, but this time Kara enjoyed it. She pushed the gas pedal softly, and the vehicle moved forward slowly. Checking if any car was coming and pushing the pedal firmer Kara took a right turn. The engine roared as she sped up and she grinned involuntarily.

Lena beside her, watched her the whole time and smirked at Kara's pleasure of driving her car.  _ Now you understand how it feels.  _ She thought. Lena could have adjusted the GPS's settings and set her house as the destination, but she chose to let Kara get lost, get angry and then finally speak to her about everything. But Kara played smarter and instead, she used her superhearing to listen to the slightest noise she knew was coming from the apartment.  _ Of course, Supergirl doesn't need GPS.  _ Lena huffed internally. As Kara found the way to the highway, she sped up, and Lena couldn't take it anymore.

"You're mad." She stated softly. It took Kara some seconds to reply.

"You think so?" 

"I do."

"Don't you know why?"

"Burn me if I do." Kara checked briefly on Lena's fixed face on the road.

"You and Nessa dated?"

"No. We were just fuck friends." Lena said shamelessly, the alcohol making her bolder. Kara remained silent for a moment, and then she spoke again.

"Since she saw me next to you, she hated me." 

"How do you know?"

"It's just the way she looked at me, like with the receptionist. That's why I'm mad. Your harem wants to jump on my neck, and I'm not even doing something. It's not my fault. I'm your friend." Kara said and exited the highway again when she saw the Capital Dock building in the horizon. 

"And who's fault is it?" Lena asked calmly, but Kara could listen to her pounding heart.

"No one's? It just happened." 

"I see." Lena looked out of the window loafing at the city lights glowing in the dark. 

"Is that all you have to say? We won't discuss it?"

"We will talk about it when you sort your feelings out." Lena was tired of Kara's behaviour. Because she knew her friend was jealous but was too immature to admit it and it was fine by her. She had been in love with Kara for years now. Waiting a bit longer didn't mind her. Not happening at all didn't mind her either because their friendship mattered most than anything to her. But now Kara's behaviour was putting their relationship on danger. And she was tired of continually trying to save it. Maybe it was confirmed that when the damage between two people was too significant, nothing could retrieve it.

"Are you implying I've got feelings for you?" Kara asked, annoyed. She reached the building's entrance to the parking. Kara pushed the button, and the garage door opened. Kara entered it and parked the car to the same specific spot it was placed earlier.

"I'm implying nothing Kara. All I'm saying is that you need to figure out by yourself why you felt the need to vent like that earlier, and now giving me the cold shoulder for other people's actions." Lena said, grabbing her purse and exiting the car, while Kara followed silently. She pressed the lock button and handed the keys to Lena. They stepped into the elevator and Lena pushed the first button leading to the penthouse. Kara was lost in her world, and Lena had noticed. The elevator's bell rang, and the doors opened, but Kara's voice stopped Lena dead in her tracks.

"Kiss me," Kara said.


	7. William darling

"Kiss me," Kara said, and Lena blinked astonished. She was a little tipsy, processing everything slower, but even if she had the entire time of the world, she still wouldn't know how to respond. Because she craved that for years. Her heart told her to go for it while her mind screamed to stop this madness. It was a battle between sentiments and reason, and Lena always put the reason above everything. Or at least she thought so.

"Kara I'm not kissing you!"

"You said I've got feelings for you, this way I will convince you that I do not, once and for all."

"No, this is stupid and immature. I never said you got feelings for me." Lena was about to exit the elevator, but Kara's firm grip stopped her. 

"Just kiss me and see yourself." She said and pulled Lena closer with her stubborn and frustrated face. Lena was a few centimetres shorter than Kara with those heels. She felt Kara's breath on her face. Her heart was beating fast, and Lena was confident the panic was evident on her face. But inhaling deeply, she forced herself to calm down and think a way to escape from this awkward situation. She took some steps forward decisively pushing their bodies together, and Kara was forced to take some steps back. She was trapped in the corner of the elevator, and Lena was only a few inches away. Her face moved slowly closer to Kara's, her eyes never leaving her lips. She closed her eyes, thinking she was going to get a kiss, but Lena had other plans. In the last minute, she turned her face on the right, reaching Kara's ear, where she whispered:

"When I kiss women, I do it because they crave me. If you think you can use me for experimenting and exploring your sexuality, you're naive." She walked away from Kara, getting out of the elevator, leaving a wholly startled Kara behind.  _ No, I didn't enjoy it, I wasn't delighted by the feeling on her body against mine! It was for the sake of our friendship!  _ She repeated on inwardly and praised herself for her composure. Unlocking the door, almost ran upstairs to her bedroom. She wanted to cry and vent all the tension and hurt she felt. Because her feelings were genuine while Kara tried to use her for experimentation. Not just to explore her sexuality but her feelings too. And this hurt Lena even more. She had imagined kissing her friend multiple times. When they started hanging out, sometimes she would daydreaming taking her on dates. Sometimes her imagination was even wilder, leaving her all hot and bothered while being next to her and when Kara would notice she'd ask if something was wrong. Lena's excuses were always "problems in business" or "Lillian". Which weren't lies but not the real reason her mind was off. Because had Kara known the truth, she would never speak to her again, and that reason made her stop thinking of her, more than a friend. She repressed her romantic feelings, she put them in a little box and buried it in the back of her mind, in a dusted corner. To the sake of their friendship, Lena became blind to her feelings. She convinced herself, it was all just a phase, and her admiration, her love and her need of Kara's attention were in just a friendly level. And now Kara was asking her to revoke all these feelings she had struggled to burry, to start hoping again only for Kara to make sure, there weren't romantic feelings towards her. She felt like crying, but she knew Kara would hear her. Even the slightest sob and muffle. She kicked off her shoes and disappeared to the bathroom. She turned on the shower adjusting the temperature to the coldest, and she let herself finally collapse in an audible mourn, being sure Kara couldn't hear her because of the water splashing on the ground. She hid her face on her knees, sitting down on the cold tiles of the shower. Her clothes drenched and frigid, but she didn't care at this point. 

She didn't know for how long she had stayed in the shower, but when she stepped out of it and checked the watch on her wrist, it was almost midnight. She took off her soaked clothes and hanged them on the bamboo towel rack. Taking off her make up as well, she put her glasses on and walked to the cloakroom to find something decent to wear. Most of her nightwear was too lacy and provocative in her opinion. She wasn't used to sleepovers and having other people in her house, so she didn't mind wearing whatever she wanted. When she had casual sex partners, she never let them stay for the night, not even Nessa. Of course, all of this changed after moving to National City and meeting Kara. There were times they spent the entire weekends together at each other's place, and she had made sure to have some baggy t-shirts and shorts for those occasions. 

She found a pink satin short slip with black lace details, she thought it was the least revealing compared to the others. She tied the belt of her satin black kimono, wore her slippers and descended the stairs, making her way to the library to get a book to read. Her hair was still a little moist feeling it cold against her neck, but only because she felt her skin burning. She hoped Kara was asleep by now. To her disappointment, Kara was lying on the couch watching TV. She acted like she wasn't there and passing in front of her she stood before the library looking at her books. They were arranged in alphabetical order and spotting the one she wanted, she raised her heels, trying to reach it. She cursed when she failed to catch it, but in a blink of an eye, Kara was beside her, picking it up. Kara gave it to her with a restrained smile, but Lena just grabbed it and turned her back to leave. 

"I'm sorry," Kara said, making her stop without turning to face her though.

"I've heard that before." Lena retorted, exhausted of the constant fighting between them.

"What do you mean?" Kara's eyes instantly glossy, trying to hold her tears.

"Since I found out your secret, we keep hurting each other all the time and then apologise, and when everything is peaceful, then we go back to fighting all over again. We're doing circles, and it's exhausting, Kara!" Lena said, desperately raising her voice.

"What are you implying, Lena?" Her voice cracked, and tears ran down her cheeks.

"Maybe, the damage in our friendship is too much. Maybe, we can't leave the past behind us." 

"No!" Kara sobbed. "No, I don't accept. I'm not going to give up on you." She took a few steps closer, standing before her to see her face. It was expressionless. Like she had been drained out completely, which made Kara dig her nails on her palms in an attempt to not crack up in front of her. "Unless you want to."

"What I want is to be your friend without getting constantly emotionally drained. But it seems impossible, Kara!" Lena yelled.

"I know, and I'm sorry this my fault, I shouldn't ask you something like that, I honestly don't know what came over me." Lena lowered her head to hide her sliding tears.

"What if we're just toxic for each other?" Kara shook her head negatively whispering "no". "But it makes sense thinking of my brother and your cousin. It's all repeating between us. They were fine until they got to be completely honest about themselves. Maybe a Luthor and a Super can't be friends." Kara sighed again resting her hands on her waist.

"All I know is that if we want to be friends, we will. I can't live in a world without you. I did, and it was too painful. And this time, I, messed up, you can blame on me, but I promise you if you give us another chance, I'll be the best friend you've ever had."

"You're already the best friend I've ever had," Lena said heartbroken. Kara pulled her in a tight hug resting her chin on Lena's crest. She listened to her steady and slow heartbeat, feeling hers synchronising as well.  _ How could I live without her? _

Lena heard Kara's stomach growl and immediately stepped back, forcing them to part. She had an amused look on her face. 

"You're still hungry?" Lena asked stupefied.

"Rao, are you kidding me? I need almost ten thousand calories per day; otherwise, I'll starve."

"Ten thousand?" Lena squealed with wide eyes. Kara nodded. "That means most of your salary is spent on food!"

"Yeah, actually. Even though junk food, which I prefer, is much cheaper than those expensive restaurants you like that serve a tiny portion of food." Lena chuckled at this point. "Okay, I get it, it's better looking a small amount of food on a white plate but what's the point paying so much for something that doesn't make you feel full?" 

"Small portions are elegant." Lena retorted with a smile, and Kara's stomach growled again.

"My stomach disagrees." She said making Lena laugh genuinely in that careless way, her dimples formed, without caring about showing too much her perfect teeth. They ordered a stack of pizzas that Kara ate almost all. Lena only had a slice because she was too full, she said. But Kara didn't believe her.  _ Healthy food freak.  _

"Kara, could you please throw these boxes away? I don't need a visit from cockroaches in my house." Lena said, indicating at the scattered boxes everywhere. Kara using her superspeed, put all the boxes in a big black plastic bag and left to throw it away. She was back in a minute.

"Sometimes I'm jealous of your powers," Lena said as she picked up the TV controller from beside her and turned on the TV.

"It's not always as easy as it looks like," Kara said, looking at the TV absent-mindedly, but she gasped as she remembered something. "Lena, I forgot to ask you earlier. How did this TV suddenly appear in your apartment? It wasn't there before." Lena fidgeted on her seat with a guilty look on her face.

"I ordered a TV earlier when we were in the parking lot because I thought you would want to watch Netflix." She muttered.

"Lena! You shouldn't!" 

"Kara, it's not that important to me. And to be honest, it was necessary. We live in the 21st century."

"Speaking of that, you still don't have social media accounts."

"I know but imagine the damage I'd cause to L-Corp if I'd post at 3 a.m and completely drunk, confidential information."

"You're impossible." Kara chuckled making Lena shrug, crooking her lips and rolling her eyes. Then Kara's eyes fell on Lena's band on her hand. There was a dark brown stain of dried blood on it that almost looked black. 

"When was the last time you changed it?" She asked, pointing at the gauze. Lena was taken aback for a moment trying to understand what Kara was talking about and when she looked at the pointing direction she let a puff of air escape between her lips, indicating it had slipped entirely off her mind.

"It's been a while." It had been more than twenty-four hours wearing the same band.

"Lena!" Kara scolded and disappeared momently, returning with a first aid kit on her hands. She sat next to Lena, taking her hand to reel out the band. The wound was healing nicely despite her carelessness. It still hurt, but Lena was resistant to pain. She didn't flinch or wince; instead, she watched Kara pampering her. The cautious and gentle moves on her skin and the way she was focused on her work, caused goosebumps on her skin, hoping Kara wouldn't notice. But she did, and immediately they locked their eyes. Lena was convinced after the incident that nothing between them could ever happen. Not in the way she craved for. Deciding to break the silence and the distressing tension between them, she looked away.

"Thank you." She said, smiling awkwardly, and Kara just nodded. They watched the latest episodes of Kara's favourite show. Lena let herself sink in the sofa while Kara supported her head on her chest, listening to the steady heartbeat that lulled her to sleep, feeling safe with her. When Lena noticed Kara dozing off, she joggled her softly and told her to go to sleep. Clasping their fingers together, she stood up, forcing Kara to stand up too who protested to stay a bit longer on the couch, but Lena was rigid. They walked up the stairs holding hands, neither of them feeling the need to separate them, and they only parted when they stood out of Kara's room.

"Good night," Kara said softly, still half asleep. Lena reciprocated and walked away to her room. 

Lena was restless that night. Her body ached for some sleep, but her mind wouldn't fall silent. Getting out of the bed and silently climbing down the stairs, she headed to the bar beside the kitchen and poured herself a glass of her favourite Irish whiskey. She walked up again, entered her room and sat in the balcony's chair with the glass on her hand. The icy weather made her freeze instantly, but the more amount of alcohol she consumed, the less it affected her. She admired the view; the way the lights of Grand Canal Dock reflected on the water, some boats and ferries entering the docks, others leaving it. She had missed this city. Her life was much simpler before moving to National City, before Lex going crazy. Thinking of Lex, her heart clenched. She still loved her brother, she always hoped he could be saved after the crisis. It felt like having another chance with him. When he helped her, she knew he would betray her from time to time but deep down, she hoped he wouldn't. And now she had to fight him again. Even kill him again. 

She sighed and sipped the rest of the alcohol in her cup. She went back inside in her warm room, closing the window and lied down on her bed. Watching the first flares of sun, eventually, she crashed, completely languished.

The sound of a notification on her phone woke her up. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw her phone's screen glowing. She extended her arm to the bedside table, wore her glasses on and picked up her phone. Unlocking her screen, she saw a text from Sam delivered two minutes ago.

** Sam: ** Gm how're things with Kara?

Lena smiled, seeing that her mood had much improved now. She texted her friend back that everything was fine, avoiding to mention about yesterday's incidents and asked about her.

** Sam: ** We need to talk about something when you return. 

Lena's eyebrows furrowed and her forehead creased.

** Lena:  ** What happened? 

Is it some problem with Jess?

** Sam:  ** No Jess is okay so is L-Corp

It's sth personal

** Lena:  ** Should I be worried?

** Sam:  ** No it's nothing

I gotta head to work now ttyl

** Lena:  ** Hf

She dropped her phone next to her pillow and got up, heading to her bathroom for her morning routine. It was nearly 1 p.m, and she hated for skipping the entire morning. She still couldn't get used to the time difference, and her insomnia didn't help at all. Washing the soap off her face, she checked herself at the mirror, confronting the bags beneath her eyes, a sign of her lack of sleep. She hid them with concealer and did her makeup like she did every morning, before heading to the company. Only the bold ruby on her lips was replaced by a natural pink shade of colour. Since the day would be relaxing, the tough businesswoman persona wasn't needed, she thought. She chose to wear a white knitted sweater with deep purple edges and some faded relaxed jeans she found in the wardrobe. She had forgotten that she owned these pieces. After taking up LuthorCorp her style was severely upgraded, and she loved it, but at the same time, she missed being able to go out wearing jeans and sneakers, not caring if it would tamper her strict image. She headed down only to find Kara, sitting on the couch, eating the pizza leftovers from yesterday while watching Netflix.

"Good morning." Kara tried to say with an overstuffed mouth, her eyes checked Lena from top to bottom. 

"Morning." Lena retorted with an eye roll. She felt uneasy under Kara's gaze but pretended she didn't notice the way she looked at her. Then, she headed to the kitchen, adding a capsule to her espresso machine. "I wanted to take you for breakfast out and then for a walk to St. Stephen's Green but considering the time I woke up..." She shrugged.

"Or we could go for brunch and then go wherever you had planned," Kara said swallowing the last piece of pizza. 

"But you just ate." Lena picked the small cup from the machine and took a sip of the bitter liquid. 

"So?" Kara asked in a severe tone. 

"Yeah, right." Lena sat down next to Kara, who gathered the empty paper box and excused herself to washing her sticky hands. Then she returned with her coat on waiting for Lena to clean the cup and put on her coat too. 

"What's the point of having a dishwasher but washing everything with your own hands?" Kara asked while Lena wrapped a red scarf around her neck and put a navy, blue, woollen coat on.

"But it was just a cup. And take this with you." She pointed to the pizza box, which Kara promptly grabbed and followed Lena to the exit. They stopped by the lobby to throw the box away since Lena was a little hysterical with cleaning and didn't want her trash bin full of pizza boxes, because they occupied too much space according to her opinion. She also got the chance to inform the receptionist that the cleaning crew was free to enter the apartment now that they would be gone for some hours. Kara thought the building was more of a hotel than residential. The girl in the reception tried desperately to catch Lena's attention and take their interaction to a more personal level, but Lena was compact and formal even when the girl shamelessly asked whether she dated someone. She thanked the girl politely for the interest on her but told her it wasn't reciprocated. It felt like music to Kara's ears, mostly because she was confirmed. The girl looked heartbroken at first, and when she glanced Kara, her face filled with malice and hatred. Kara had to contain herself from sticking her tongue out to the receptionist. They climbed down to the parking and Lena threw the keys to Kara, who caught them in the air. Lena claimed she wasn't in the mood to drive since she didn't sleep much, but the real reason was to watch Kara's excited face, every time she pushed the gas pedal, and the engine roared. For Lena, it was one of the most pleasant things to watch. They parked the car to the same place as yesterday. The young valet this time was more brave, daring to ask Lena what was the highest speed she had driven with while returning her keys. He knew, even though Kara drove, it was Lena's car and had probably done his research on her figure. She replied that she had once gone with 350 km/h. The young man squealed a "Janey Mack" as an exclamation of surprise and excitement, but Lena told him she was lucky she was alive and advised him to always drive below the speed limit. When she was left with Kara alone, they made their way to a small vintage coffee shop while her friend scolded her for driving that fast.

"What were you thinking?" Kara exclaimed attracting the attention of some people around her.

"Trust me I had a serious reason for going that fast," Lena said, walking with the hands in her coat's pockets. The chill weather was giving her a hard time.  _ At least it stopped raining.  _

"May I know the reason?" Lena stayed silent and walked into the coffee shop followed by Kara, taking a seat on the front window of the cafeteria. The waitress greeted them with a smile and passed them a big card with the menu. Then she left giving them some time to make up their minds. Lena checked it briefly, feeling Kara's eyes on her. She lifted her head and saw Kara still waiting for a response. Even if it was a challenging subject for her to discuss, the adorableness of the expectant face on the other side of the table, made it difficult for her to avoid answering. 

"As I've already told you, I wasn't always the person I've become now. Many years ago, I'd party hard and do crazy things with my friends. It was a night Nessa and me..." She took a pause, thinking of her next words carefully giving Kara the time recall that she wanted to ask her questions about their relationship. "We were intimate together as you already know. One night, we had fun, and she wanted to spice it up with a small bag of cocaine. It wasn't much, only three grams, but it was enough to cause great damage, especially since she was a constant user which I didn't know." She could see the judging in Kara's eyes, and she felt the need to explain herself. "Back then, drugs weren't an obstacle to me, since I didn't settle with society's morality and didn't care about my well-being at the same time." Kara's forehead formed wrinkles and opened her mouth to say something, but Lena continued before she could. "Because I hated being a Luthor, and mostly I hated myself because..." Her voice cracked. "I blamed myself for my mother's death." Tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably, and she swept them away with her sleeve. The waitress came back, and Lena had to look out to hide her swollen eyes and dragging unwanted attention. Kara told her they still weren't ready, and she left with an impatient look on her face.

"Lena, how could it be your fault? You were only four." She took a deep breath, and Kara put her hand over hers on the table, drawing delicate patterns with her thumb. 

"One day we went for swimming in Blessington. My mother's aunt lived there, she had no children from what I know, and she was close to my mother. I have a fade form of her face in my mind, but that's all. It was a cloudy day, and we had been warned that a storm was about to break. We were swimming in the calm water when I saw a thunder in the sky, and almost immediately, the clap followed. I got scared and got out of the water, but she continued swimming while I watched her nearby from the shore. The thunders fell closer, and I only raised my head in the sky for a second. For just a second Kara!" Lena's voice snapped again. "All I know is that the next moment she was drowning in the lake. She was sinking in the water without even fighting to stay on the surface, and I just stood there watching." Lena threw her face on her hand, crying with uncontrollable sobs and Kara stood up and sat to the chair beside her, and pulled her in a hug. Some people turned to look at them, concluding the waitress, but Kara didn't care at all. She rubbed her shoulder while her face was lost in the crook of Kara's neck. Lena's tears with mascara ruined her cardigan, but she didn't mind. When she had calmed down, she continued: "They said a light stroke the water, and she got electrocuted and probably died before drowning, but it was not certain. Had I done something maybe she would be here now." She started crying again, even harder now and Kara dug her nails under her straightened slick hair, to massage her scalp. Lena was glad at this point that they were in a foreign country that almost no one recognised her. Had she been spotted broken down like that on a public place in National City, it would be all over the news the following day and every mental sacrifice she ever did to become ruthless, every incident that drove her to sell the image of a cold-hearted person to survive would have been for nothing.

"Sometimes we take the blame of things we are not to blame, for things that there was nothing we could do because it's better than admitting to ourselves that we don't have as much power as we think we do. You were only four years old, and being startled was the most logical reaction a child would have. Even if you had been in the water, then what? You would have probably get drowned together, and the world would lack that perfect mind of yours." Kara said softly, still holding Lena in her arms.

"But I could have dragged her out of the water."

"You said she didn't react and just sank in the water. She was already dead by the strike."

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't, but you do," Kara said softly. "I hope someday you can forgive yourself." She planted a kiss on Lena's forehead.

"Thank you, Kara." Lena pulled her head back, her body remaining in Kara's arms, to look at her eyes. And then she saw how Kara's pupils were more dilated than usual, even if the room was bright by the daylight entering the windows and the lamps in the cafeteria too, she saw how her breathing altered since she was so close to feeling it upon herself. All these little signs would be enough to make her start hoping, but she knew better than that. She knew that even if it was true, even if her body reactions betrayed her, Kara was blind to her feelings for her. And she didn't mind remaining like that if it meant their friendship would be saved but sometimes she wondered what would happen if. And that "what if" could be enough to end her.

She pulled back, separating them and sat up her seat, immediately sensing the lack of warmth to the spots Kara's body was pressed to. Then she noticed the people around her staring and thinking she probably looked like a mess, she excused herself to the restroom. For the first time, in many years, she walked with her chin low to hide her embarrassment. Something she hadn't felt since she was a child. When Lillian would give her a lesson about getting over with the feeling of shame. Lillian's methods were cruel. She believed that with repetition, someone could get used to emotion and finally become numb to it. As a result, she made a list of feelings supposed to be negative and forced Lena and Lex feel them daily until they stopped caring about them. That way, they would put logic before sentiments. Embarrassment was one of them. She still remembered the day Lillian sent her to Tiffany's to buy her a diamond ring with fake cash. The assistant had called the manager and the security, and finally, the police were notified. When Lillian saw the police officers putting handcuffs on Lena and dragging her out of the shop forcefully, she stepped in and ended the confliction. She paid for the ring and when the manager heard the "Luthor" name, immediately dropped all the charges. Of course, it was on the cover of all newspapers and magazines the following day, but Lillian had accomplished her goal. The next time Lena should feel embarrassment, she didn't. Lena had become numb to it, and she hated her mother for that. 

Checking herself on the mirror, she noticed the mascara wasn't smeared at all and the makeup was on fleek.  _ Finally, Using insanely, expensive cosmetics paid off.  _ She headed back to the table, noticing that Kara had sat again on the other side of the small circular wooden table. She sat down, and after reassuring Kara that she was okay, she took a glance at the menu. She was starving, and so was Kara since she ordered a chicken omelette. When the waitress left with their orders, Lena's eyebrows arched, making her forehead crumple and said:

"From all the dishes you could have, you chose a chicken omelette?"

"Yeah, why?" Kara shrugged.

"Because, Kara, it's like eating mother and baby together!" She said in an exasperated tone pronouncing every word in an Irish way that many people could assume she's British. Kara's face didn't change at first and stared at her blankly, but then suddenly she burst into laughter. She laughed for so long that she felt her stomach hurt. Lena gently placed her cup of coffee down, leaned back in her chair, giving her friend a stern look. When Kara noticed, she immediately stopped. After debating whether it was morally wrong, cooking and consuming an omelette chicken, they ate in silence talking mostly about Lena's plans for the rest of the day. Kara was happy that she would get to see Lena's favourite places. When she insisted on coming with her, she had no expectations. Her only will was to support her friend. 

They took a walk in St. Stephen's Green Park, a park with a historical significance which Lena was prompt to tell Kara. Kara enjoyed listening to her talking about the place's history even though she had always disliked it. At least the Earth's one because of the too many battles and centuries of hatred. Krypton had many fights and incidents of war also but not as many as Earth did. She had to remember mostly information about illnesses or biblical weather destructions, instead of wars. When she was younger and was forced to read history at school, she would compare humans to Daxamites and would find many similarities. But as the years passed, she started loving human race and accepted their flaws. 

They walked silently towards the Three Fates statue. Lena had almost talked about every corner or a tree in the park. Kara didn't mind, of course. Lena always made everything she had to say somehow more attractive, in Kara's opinion. They passed from a newsstand and a group of people that were standing there, reading the covers, started whispering and nudging each other as soon as they saw them. Kara and Lena shared a puzzled look and approached the newsstand. When an elderly man with a white moustache and a cap, who seemed to be the salesman by the way he observed the people behind the stand, noticed Lena and Kara, he gave them a disgusted look full of hatred and said:

"Tree euros or leave." He spat angrily, and Kara took a step forward to object, but Lena extended her arm, firmly stopping her from doing so. She opened her purse and took out her credit card, but then she realised the man didn't possess a card machine and Kara fished some coins from her coat that she had exchanged in the morning when Lena was still asleep. She dropped them on the stand abruptly and took a newspaper. Checking the cover, they saw a picture of them out of Capital Dock from yesterday when they arrived and as a title: "Lena Luthor's romantic escape trip" Scanning the other newspapers' titles with their eyes, similar things were written about them. Titles like "Billionaire businesswoman in Dublin with mysterious blonde" on serious newspapers and "Lena Luthor has the hots for blonded" on leaflets and gossip magazines.

"Dykes." The man muttered again in a grumpy tone. Lena had to push Kara to force her to walk away and avoid picking up a fight with the wrinkled man. Not that she was capable of moving Kara, but at least she obeyed and walked out on her own will. 

"It's okay, tomorrow they will have forgotten about it," Lena said sadly.

"But how can they write such things without having any proof?" 

"I don't know, you tell me. You are in the circle of media."

"I can't answer that because in CatCo, even if Snapper was a pain in the neck, he never approved articles without being substantiated by a valid source." 

"It's probably because I'm the new uproar. I'm from a foreign country and a billionaire at the same time. They are desperate to know the reason for my visit, and they assume things." 

"Ugh, I hate the press of this land. At least CatCo is decent and serious."

"I think we both agree on "was" decent."

"Yeah, you're right. Andrea's desperate strategy to make more money is ruining everything miss Cat, James and you worked so hard to accomplish."

"I should have never sold it to Andrea. It was a wrong move."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because I was hurt and desperate to make you feel the same. I never cared about CatCo anyway. The only reason I bought it was for you."

"Lena I..." Lena raised her index finger as a warning to make Kara stop and threw a narrowed gaze at her, arching her eyebrow. Kara pressed her lips together and nodded but then smiled cheerfully. Lena couldn't remain serious either, and they both chuckled. They walked in silence again.

"You never finished the story back in the cafeteria," Kara said out of sudden, and Lena was taken aback for a moment. The hurtful look on her face made Kara instantly regret her remark, but it was too late to take it back, and Lena had already started talking.

"You're right, and I'm sorry about that. I keep doing it lately, but I assure you it's not on purpose. I just have a lot in my mind."

"You don't need to explain yourself."

"But I do, but anyway. As I was saying before, I wasn't a drug addict; neither I took the heavy ones. I started with pot in some parties and only had some ecstasy a couple of times. Nothing too serious but nothing I'd do again of course. Nessa and Sean were heavier users. Sean started with chalk and quickly switched to krokodil while Nessa preferred cocaine. Ciara was always clean and protested against it. Every time she saw us getting high, she would start scolding. There was a time we avoided her, and the three of us met secretly without her."  _ I really like this Ciara.  _ Kara thought. "As I said, I was mostly into smoking pot. I had never tried anything else even if they sometimes got pushy. Especially Nessa. They said, they had it under control, but as time passed, more and more signs of addiction showed up, especially to Sean. He would disappear for days, and when showing up, he looked like a wreck. Always sweating, dark circles beneath his eyes, lack of concentration. I was scared every time he disappeared, we would find him chocked on his vomit in his apartment. With Nessa, the addiction was much different. Every time we met, she had extremely high levels of energy that made me scared sometimes. There were times I..." Lena paused. "I...I cou... I couldn'thandlehereveninbed." She said quickly, the evident crimson on her cheeks, betraying how uncomfortable she felt.  _ I didn't need to know that.  _ Kara sighed inwardly, her face not crossing her thoughts. "Every time she was coming down she would take instantly another line, and when I asked her whether she got high constantly, she claimed she only took some lines when she met me because it made her orgasms bigger." Lena's fists clenched as she said the word "orgasm", her eyes directly at Kara's face, that remained expressionless. She had never talked with Kara about sex, and she didn't know how she felt for sharing so many details, but she couldn't bypass them since they were essential. "Anyway, that fatal night, we have had sex in my apartment, and she was already high, but she said she needed more before we would go on. She parted the rest of the bag in two lines each for one of us but when I denied she got pissed, and she sniffed the one meant for me, too. She wanted to show me what I was losing but as soon as it started kicking in, she got overdosed. You can't imagine my fright when I saw her falling on the bed unconscious and her body jerking because of the tremors. Without thinking about it, I carried her and put her in a car to transfer her to the hospital. I thought briefly for calling an ambulance, but my car was faster. I was running too fast on the highway, and fortunately, it was very late, and only a few cars were driving, but I was unfortunate enough to pass from a patrol speed driving with more than 180km/h. Of course, according to their radar speed gun, it was too fast and ended up chasing me. But when I turned my head to check Nessa, I saw white foams coming off her mouth and then I knew I couldn't stop. I sped up knowing they couldn't keep up with me, and when I entered the tunnel, I reached the car's highest speed. I know we could have both get killed, but I couldn't let her die, Kara. Not in my hands." 

"If I were you, I'd probably have done the same," Kara responded tormented, looking down at the path. "What happened after that?" She raised her head to look at her friend's green eyes that now looked cloudy and joyless.

"Fortunately the doctors could save her, I mean obviously." She shrugged. "They said had I brought her a minute later, she wouldn't have made it. We can thank my prodigious car for that." Lena tried to joke to lighten the mood, but Kara remained severe. "Anyway, after that incident, Sean quit, and Ciara helped him with the detoxification. Nessa's family sent her in Smarmore castle, a private rehab clinic that offered a program specifically for cocaine detox, and I never used any drugs again. Not even pot. I was so dismayed from this incident that it was the beginning of becoming that I am now. Obsessed with health, trying to make this world a better place. My appearance changed, as well."

"That makes sense." They walked in silence for a while. People passed beside them either jogging or walking, some others were taking picnic since it wasn't raining, something rare for Ireland's weather. "It's good that this incident didn't have an impact on your friendship," Kara said thoughtfully. 

"Who said it didn't? After the event, we didn't speak again. They were both busy in detox, and my exchange year was almost over. I had to go back to Massachusetts to complete my studies. I only kept in touch with Ciara to learn about Sean's condition, but after a while, we stopped texting each other. I never learned what happened to Nessa, and it always bothered me. She never returned my calls, and after doing some research, I found out she had changed her number. Then, I met Jack, and we started working in a garage, using nanotechnology to find a cure for cancer as you already know. As time passed, I left everything behind me. You can't imagine my surprise seeing them yesterday. It felt like experiencing every little thing happened, all over again." 

"I'm so sorry, Lena. For everything." Kara said, stopping in her tracks. She turned her body completely to watch Lena directly. Some people muttered angrily for blocking their way, and they were forced to step out of the path.

"No, it's okay. We also had some good memories together. And seeing them now all grown and healthy made me feel relieved. Especially for Nessa." 

"Do you still care about her?" Lena's eyes checked Kara's facial features and then locked their gaze, trying to decipher her friend's thoughts. She opened her mouth to answer, but a thick voice made both of them startle and turn their heads towards the source. 

"Kara?!" They saw William approaching them with a wide bright smile, contrasting with his tanned skin and waving his hand towards them. He almost jogged, and Lena contained herself from rolling her eyes.

"William?" Kara almost squeaked too surprised to reciprocate his hug, but he didn't seem discouraged at all. 

"Kara, what are you doing here?"

"You, what are you doing here?"

"Andrea, sent me to get an exclusive from Liam Cunningham. There's an upcoming project called Masters of the Universe: Revelation, he's starring at." Lena furrowed her eyebrows. It was the most ridiculous excuse she had heard, making her suspicions towards him only raise. 

"Liam Cunningham? Are we writing about TV show protagonists now too?" Kara asked, half surprised, half annoyed.

"You know how Andrea is." He shrugged and then turned his attention to Lena who stood beside Kara, reading him the whole time. Somehow his words and his look did not seem to accord, in her own opinion.

"Lena Luthor! Nice to see you again!" He said, extending his arm and her gracious manners forced her to handshake. Again, the handshake was too firm, almost painful. She remembered Lionel's likeness of firm handshakes. He always told Lena how much he hated it when he shook hands with someone, and the handshake was too dispassionate. Especially from men. He said, men with a firm handshake, tended to be more honest and genuine. But in this case, Lena was convinced the firm grip didn't comply with his honesty. Instead, she got the impression that he hated her so much that poorly contained his temper. But a little voice inside her, much familiar to Kara's, told her she was paranoid and there was no way he hated her since he barely knew her. But then a premonition told her it wouldn't be the first time someone hated her without even knowing her. Because people hated Luthors. And while she was having this internal dialogue in her head, Kara and William were talking, and she watched them like watching TV without volume. Only when they turned their heads toward her and seemed to wait for an answer she zoomed in again. As Kara noticed, she hadn't heard a thing she repeated.

"Lena, do you mind if William comes with us?" Lena turned fiercely at William screaming "No" and punching him on the face so hard that he fell on his back. But unfortunately to her, that was only a creation of her imagination, and in reality, she put a fake smile on her face, one of those she saved for the annoying members of the boardroom and lied about not minding William to join them. They spent the rest of the day the three of them visiting Trinity college, where Lena had booked a private tour of the old library exhibition, and the little museum of Dublin. William's contemptuous tone about Irish culture and history aggravated Lena, and every time he would try to seclude themselves from Lena and stay behind murmuring, she felt her blood boiling. Kara would have noticed hadn't been so focused on William's company. 

Later in the afternoon, they sat in a coffee shop, and Lena decided to order a tea instead of coffee. She was already only one step away from shaking. Kara ordered a milkshake and William Irish coffee. When he took a sip, he got a white moustache around his lips which Lena found ridiculous, but Kara thought was adorable. Every time he attempted to flirt with her, Lena rolled her eyes in annoyance because he wasn't subtle at all and could feel Kara tensing up.

"So, Lena you own an apartment in Capital Dock."

"Penthouse." She corrected him.

"Of course, right. Lena Luthor only gets the best." He said as a joke, but Lena detected a hint of irony in his words. Kara forced a chuckle sensing the tension between them. 

"Lena has amazing taste. If you could come to watch it with your own eyes, I bet you would lose it. The decoration on the walls, the furniture, the view, everything is perfect!" Lena smiled proudly since she had spent weeks trying to adjust it on her taste and make it look perfect at the same time.

"I'm sure Lena's taste is excellent," Willian said, taking another sip of his coffee, his eyes fixed on Lena, and she swore his words hid a second meaning. Before she could answer him, a buzz on her phone prevented her. Focusing her gaze on the screen, William and Kara kept talking about something Lena didn't care to listen. Seeing a text from a number she didn't recognise and wasn't saved as a contact, her forehead was creased. 

** If this is still the number, I'd like to meet you tonight. It's been a long time, and we need to catch up. Nothing crazy, or formal. I just missed you and want to see you. -Nessa **

"I was waiting for your call yesterday because of the date we had planned, but when I tried to call you, your phone was constantly dead. I was so worried about you. And now finding you here safe and sound, oh, what a coincidence! I'm so glad you're fine."  _ Yeah, what a coincidence...  _ Lena thought. 

"I'm so sorry, William, my phone got broken, and I didn't have the chance to buy a new one. I'm sorry about our date, I wanted to stand by Lena because she needs me and I messed up with our date. I'm so sorry." Kara's face showed regret and sadness, making Lena bitter. At the same time, her stubbornness caused anger towards her friend because she was the one that insisted on travelling with her. Lena never asked her to come or miss her date, but first and foremost, she never said she needed her. Because Lena was assured, she needed no one.

"I'm sorry you missed your date because of me." She said in a formal business tone without any hint of emotion, making Kara's face falter.

"Kara, would you like to go on a date with me tonight?" William asked out of sudden. Lena's hand clenched around her cup but remembering her previous accident, which wasn't fully healed yet, she instantly let the cup free. This time there would be no excuse for such an accident. Kara looked at Lena briefly, like having an internal battle whether it was right to accept or not. Lena averted her eyes from Kara and checked at her phone's screen, having her internal conflict too. She tapped something on the screen quickly and put her phone down.

"William, I'm so sorry, but I came here with Lena for a specific reason, and it's not appropriate..." But before Kara could turn him down, Lena interfered. 

"Oh God no, don't you dare finish that line darling! You two should go have fun. Don't mind me at all. I was going to meet Ness later anyway." She could see the hurt on Kara's face, especially when she mentioned Ness while she performed a great play that many actors and actresses would be jealous of. For the reason that when Lena wanted, she could convince everyone of everything. And she was confident, there was no one better than her at lying. Only Lillian was.

"Perfect then! I'll pick you up at 10!" William said enthusiastically while Kara forced a smile. Then her eyes locked on Lena's, but she quickly averted her gaze and searched her bag for her wallet. 

"Kara, I need to go back to prepare. Would you mind if I left? You can come back whenever you want. I'll leave you some extra keys in case you need them." Lena chirped.

"It's okay, you can go," Kara replied in a low voice. 

"Great!" And eyeing the waitress, Lena said: "May I have the check please?"


	8. Blondes-Blondes

"Are you okay?" William asked, touching Kara's hand, noticing the frown on her face. She was lost in her thoughts, and when she felt his touch, she almost flinched but turning her head, seeing it was just William she gave him a small fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where were we?" She asked, trying to look unaffected by the fact Lena was going out with Nessa.  _ She ditched me to go out with her.  _ Fury conquered her at the thought of them having fun together.  _ Rao, what if I return at home later and see them making out or worse?  _ She thought there was a high chance of experiencing this incident since it was Lena's home.  _ What if they have sex in the house? Oh, Rao, I'll be able to listen to everything!  _ Picturing their naked bodies, pressed together while kissing, she flushed and shut her eyes, shaking her head quickly left and right. "Get out of my head!" She shouted, clenching her eyelids and grabbing her head. William was startled and entirely in the dark on handling this. He enveloped her, barely touching her back, like approaching a wild animal, and softly asked her what was going on. But she wasn't even listening.

"Kara, let's go." He recommended and stood up while taking his wallet out of his jeans pocket to leave some money on the table. Uncomfortable as he felt for having everyone's attention on them, he walked out of the coffee shop quickly, leaving Kara behind to wear her coat.  _ Shit, I have worldwide fame I can't embarrass myself like this.  _ He thought noticing some people still looking at him through the window glass, but when he saw Kara opening the exit door, his face immediately lightened up.

"William, I'm sorry, I suddenly got such a strong headache, and everything got blurred." Kara apologised feeling bad for him and angry at herself at the same time.  _ Poor guy.  _

"We should head to the hospital!" 

"No, no it's fine, it happens to me often, it's nothing to worry about. It's... it's some...Allergies!" Kara stuttered. "I get some allergies out of sudden, but they suddenly go away." She cursed herself inwardly for thinking such a ridiculous excuse, remembering that Lena had used the same justification for not drinking alcohol back in her place. William would think now she was sickly. If he believed her. He seemed confused at first, and then he nodded slowly making Kara's heart speed up in anxiety. 

"You have so many allergies you must constantly suffering." He answered, showing some empathy towards her, and she was even more guilt-ridden.

"No, except alcohol, the other allergies don't appear regularly. Anyway, do you mind if we go now? I need to get prepared for our date of which by the way I need to ask, what is it going to be?" 

"Oh, since it's my first day here, I am leaving that up to you. As long as it's not pool because you made me feel ridiculous the last time." He chuckled, and Kara had to look at her feet to hide her rosy cheeks. It was too hard for her to find the perfect amount of strength to shoot with the cue. She would either put too much force or too little. And almost winning with the first shot wasn't average something humans could do. Mostly, a woman playing for the first time in her entire life. 

"Okay, let me think about it, and I'll text you the address." She said, but then she remembered she didn't have a phone. "Oh, I forgot! I don't have a phone to text you. Would you mind picking me up from Lena's?"

"No, not a problem at all. I already thought I was going to pick you from her place. Is it okay at 10?" 

"It's fine!" They said their goodbyes a little awkwardly because William just waved at her with a silly grin while Kara was about to kiss him on his cheek. It never happened though, because his wave stopped her. She was practically leaning on him when he waved right a two centimetres away from her face. It was tragically uncomfortably for both of them. In the end, they just turned and walked away from each other mentally cursing for the goofiness of the situation. Kara walked some blocks away, and when she noticed a dark alley, she walked in it, getting hidden in the shadows and pushing her feet on the ground, she flew to Capital Dock. Battling whether she should land on the balcony or normally enter from the main entrance, the last option won, and she landed a few blocks away. Making her way to the building, she noticed a supermarket next to the door. It looked elegant and chic like the rest of the construction.  _ Lena and her taste...  _ Thinking that if she ate as much as she needed in her date with William, he would be probably scared of her, she decided to buy some snacks to keep up with her basal metabolic rate. Knowing she would gain Lena's eye roll for eating junk food, she bought the most fattening snacks she could get. Entering the lobby, she was surprised to see the vicious receptionist still working. She was talking on the phone, and when she eyed Kara, she made a sourpuss grimace, but Kara raised her head and turned around, fixing her posture, like Lena did every time she met Alex or most of the people she wasn't close to.  _ Almost always. _

Reaching the apartment, she tried to turn the double door's knob, but she realised it wouldn't turn. No one could open from outside without a key. She knocked and waited for Lena to open. She heard her footsteps approaching. The knock of the heels on the floor gave Kara chills because it could only mean one thing. Opening the door, Lena took a step back to let Kara in, but she just stood there frozen, looking like a statue. She was expressionless, her body still, holding two large plastic bags filled with snacks, only her eyes moving to check Lena from top to bottom.

Lena was in a deep red, stretch-jersey dress made by Alexandre Vauthier. It had padded shoulders and ruching through the bodice and hips, that created a flattering hourglass silhouette. The high neckline was showcasing the chunky chain necklaces on her neck. Her hair was ruffled and her face slightly contoured showing off her high cheekbones.  _ Not that she needs contouring for that.  _ The black eyeliner toned the emerald of the eyes, making them look even brighter. Her lips were in the same shade of red as the dress. Taking a step forward, Kara noticed they were at the same height now. Her gaze immediately lowered to Lena's legs, and she almost gasped. She wore dangerously high black heels, higher than the Louboutin's she was used to watching her in, at work. But what made Kara's mouth salivate was the extent of skin the dress wasn't covering. It was the first time watching Lena in such a short dress. Suddenly, the room was too for her, and a specific part of her body protested for some attention.  _ No, no it's just a reflex, I can't be... That's not happening, no!  _ Lena's eyebrows were raised, still standing at the door and Kara wished she hadn't noticed how shamelessly she was checking her out. To save it, she stepped in and not able to hide her grin she just murmured "Wow". Lena closed the door and walked away from Kara to pick up her phone.

"Wow what?" She asked lowly with her back turned to Kara, offering a perfect view of her behind and the way the stretchy fabric hugged every curve, planting sinful thoughts to anyone that got the chance to have this spectacle. Shooking her head abruptly, she started taking the snacks off the bags slowly and dropping them on the coffee table.

"You look good," Kara said louder this time and Lena turned to face her. She offered a broad smile to Kara and put her belongings in an evening tiny shoulder bag. Even though she didn't know many fashion brands, she had learned Cat's favourites, and one of them was Prada. She immediately recognised the emblem on the bag.  _ The devil wears Prada, of course... _

"Thank you, Kara." She said politely. When she had gathered everything, she turned to her friend again. "Here, I'm leaving you this key in case you return before me." She said and leaned to the coffee table to place it down. Kara expected some scolding or teasing about the snacks, but Lena said nothing. It was like she didn't notice them which left Kara dismayed. "Ness will be here any moment now. Enjoy your date, and I expect you to tell me everything tomorrow. Okay, darling?" Lena said, looking at Kara suggestively and approached her for a quick hug. But Kara embraced her tightly and even when she felt her friend's arms withdrawing from her back, she kept hugging her. "Kara, is everything alright?" She asked with a troubled face, Kara couldn't see since her face rested on Lena's shoulder. Finally, she took a step back, releasing her friend.

"Yeah, everything is fine," Kara said in a sad tone.  _ You're toxic now.  _ Her sense of reason screamed in her head. Lena opened her mouth to say something, but a knock on the door stopped her. She gave Kara one last glare, implying that they would talk about it later and walked to open the door.

"Jesus, what a ride!" Nessa's thick and raspy voice sounded from the door, and Kara rolled her eyes listening to the suggestive comment. She saw Lena blushing but not seeming shameful at all. Kara could swear she felt flattered.  _ Pathetic.  _ She took a step inside and approached Lena to kiss her cheek slowly while clutching her hand on Lena's waist, way too low to Kara's taste. She couldn't see what she was wearing because the checked trench coat covered her body since the belt was tied firmly on her waist. But considering she had her ash-blond hair in a ponytail and knowing her intentions, she probably wore something backless or without too much fabric around her shoulders. 

"Oh, hi, Kara. I didn't notice you." She faked a friendly voice tone, and Kara forced a smile on her lips that didn't reach her eyes. 

"Hi, Nessa. Nice to see you again." She forced a smile too and then turned to Lena, undressing her with her gaze.

"Seriously, I can't stop admiring you. You look deadly in that dress. This new version of you suits you perfectly." 

"Thank you." Lena blushed again making Kara wanting to vomit. She had never watched Lena getting reddened by compliments. She always knew how to respond to them correctly since she was receiving them regularly. But with Nessa, it was like she didn't know how to talk and it troubled Kara a lot.

"Shall we go?" Nessa asked impatiently to get rid of Kara's presence.

"Stall the beans, I need to wear my coat." Lena went to bring her coat, leaving them alone. But Kara could only think of the way her friend's pronunciation and choice of words changed every time she talked to the natives. Nessa stood there awkwardly, in silence, clenching her grip on her clutch, but that changed when she eyed the bags of snacks on the coffee table. 

"Have you the slightest clue how much fattening these things are?" She said out of sudden, making Kara's blood boil.

"And how do you know they're mine?" She crossed her arms on her chest, and Nessa smirked, trying to reserve a laugh.

"Because I know the new Lena would never put such trash in her body."  _ Oh, you have done your research! _

"Are you implying that my body is of poor quality?"

"What are you like? I'm not implying it. I'm saying it straightforwardly! Jesus, I can't imagine the amount of cellulite you have with such poor nutrition."

"Trust me I'm very fit, I don't have cellulite, and I love sports," Kara said, adjusting her fists on her waist, mimicking the signature Supergirl's pose.

"Grand." She said with a smirk and Kara assumed she meant "fine" with it. The way she said it sounded like a challenge. Hearing Lena's steps approaching, the smirk instantly replaced with an innocent, friendly face and Kara immediately dropped her arms off her waist. Lena returned wearing a classic piece of Ann Demeulemeester, a long black coat with sharply padded shoulders and offset with a split front and self-tie belt. Her high heels accentuated the asymmetric hemline. She picked up her bag from the couch and Nessa extended her hand to walk arm in arm engaged. After wishing good night to Kara, they opened the door to leave, but Nessa stopped, forcing Lena to stop too since their arms were grasped.

"Kara, are you coming for horse riding tomorrow?" She asked, pretending a genuine interest in her voice.

"Yeah, I think so." 

"You could bring your boyfriend too. It'll be fun." She said with a cunning smile leaving Kara bewildered and stunned.  _ How does she know about William? Did they talk about him? _

"He's not my boyf..." Was all she could say, but it was too late. The door was slammed, and there was no one else in the room. She was left alone with her thoughts fighting her demons that seemed to multiply lately. Because there was no way, she was attracted to her best friend. Not in that way. She always liked boys, and Lena was her friend. It was just a deep admiration. Nothing more. Because it was impossible someone not admiring her. Not just for her looks but for her intelligence too. And Kara was convinced that Nessa was a shallow person that would never love her friend in the way she deserved.  _ That's the reason I don like her. That's the reason I tremor at the thought of them being together. _

Opening the bag with chips ready to devour it, before putting the first chip in her mouth, she stopped as she noticed Lena's tablet on the library. Using her super speed, she ran to the bathroom. Scattering her clothes on the floor, she checked her body on the mirror. Googling about cellulite diagnosis, she squeezed the skin on her thigh with her index finger and the thumb. Watching that it didn't look like the tablet's picture, she felt relieved and calmed down.  _ But why is it so terrible to have these marks? It doesn't look that bad.  _ She put on some clothes again and returned to the living room, to watch Netflix and enjoy the chips. It was past nine, but with her super-speed, she would be prepared in no minute. She sank in the soft couch and was about to finally eat that chip when she heard Nessa's voice.  _ "I can't imagine the amount of cellulite you have with such poor nutrition."  _ Even though she knew her body looked perfect because, well, she was Supergirl, she was Kryptonian, Earth's food didn't have the same impact it had on humans, she still felt self-conscious. Her stomach felt full even though she was hungry a while ago. Suddenly she felt like having eaten rocks. It was the first time she experienced something like this, and she started panicking. She needed her sister, she needed Alex even if they hadn't parted on good terms, she needed to hear her voice and tell her that everything was fine and there was nothing wrong with her nutrition. Pushing the tiny earbud in her ear, she heard Alex's grumpy and formal voice. She was still angry, but when Kara explained everything to her, she was softened. 

"You experienced something we, the common human beings, experience at least for once in our life. Some people even daily. It's called body-shaming sis." 

"You have a name for that?" 

"Yeah, of course, we do since it's spreading every day. It happens to both men and women. It's like a virus, infecting people's minds, leading them to do crazy things. Things like photoshopping their bodies, their faces and uploading fake photos on social media, doing plastic surgeries that don't always improve their image, that sometimes they make it worse, some others starve themselves to become fit, others give injections to themselves to look unnaturally muscular and so many other things. People find every day a new way to transform their physical image and try to make it perfect, instead of changing their mindsets. Because no one is perfect and god help us if we all were. We don't realise that what makes us perfect and outstanding is our imperfections. If that bitch told you that you eat crappy food, then let her miserable ass feeling sorry for every bite she takes. The point is, you shouldn't let her get in your head. Because she's not you and she would wish for that, had she known the real you." Kara couldn't help but smile widely at her sister's words. She always knew exactly what to tell her to calm her down. Even if they had conflicts, nothing prevented them from helping each other in difficult times.

"Thank you, Alex, thank you so much," Kara said and finally devoured that chip.

"No problem, you know I'm always here for you. By the way, you don't have cellulite Kara or any flaws on your skin. And I have always been jealous of that. That bitch would die to have a body like yours."

"But Alex, you just said..."

"Shush! Now tell me, how are you? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. You won't believe who I met today." Kara said with her mouth full of chips, but when she heard a voice she recognised very well in the lobby, she dropped everything and ran to shower. "Shit, William." She said.

"William? What is he doing there?"

"Andrea sent him here to get an interview from Liam Cunningham." 

"Who?"

"Look, Alex, I'm sorry, but I have to go. He down in the lobby making his way to Lena's penthouse..."

"Of course, that witch has a penthouse." 

"Anyway, I gotta go, he's taking me on a date, and I still haven't even showered." 

"What? Second date?" Alex exclaimed, making Kara's eardrum throb painfully. 

"Alex I'm going now, we'll talk when I return. Bye." Kara said and pressed the earbud off.

Before William knocked on the door, Kara opened him, leaving him stunned with his hand raised. 

"Hi." She said, smiling and welcomed him inside. 

"Hey!" He retorted enthusiastically and passed her a bouquet, and she thanked him. She remembered the day her office overflowed by Lena's expensive flowers, and she immediately pushed the thought away. 

"Could you please wait a minute? I need to blow dry my hair." 

"Yeah of course." He said and took a seat on the couch. When Kara was gone, he noticed some bits of crisps on the coffee table, making him grimace in disgust. He never imagined Lena Luthor that looked so neat and disciplined was secretly so greasy.  _ Doesn't she pay maids to clean? _

When Kara was done with her, hear, she checked herself on the mirror for the last time. She opted a pink sleeveless, minidress, making her silhouette fit-and-flare with the lightly padded shoulders that accentuated the frame and the stepped hem. Her make up was light, as always, and her hair was caught in a loose bun, allowing some locks flow in the air while some others touching her neck. Descending the stairs, she saw William waiting patiently for her while watching TV. When he saw her, he complimented her appearance and kissed her hand, making her giggle and feel like a princess. Then he offered her his arm, which promptly accepted, and they headed to the exit. Kara had found a bar-restaurant on the internet, highly critiqued about the food and the calm environment. It was perfect for a romantic date night except for the fact that her mind wasn't there. Most of the time, William talked, and she was getting bored with him quickly. She tried not to show it, but she would zoom out completely, and when he expected for an answer, she would try to answer something appropriate to the question. They talked about the food and how good it tasted, then the environment and the services but Kara felt there wasn't chemistry between them. The situation got better when she asked him about joining them for horse riding tomorrow. He said he hadn't ridden a horse again, but he would like to try it. He seemed excited about going to spend time with her, but there were way too many uncomfortable silent moments between them. She had to push herself to think of something to talk about him.  _ With Lena, I never have to force myself to find something to discuss it.  _ Surprised and angry by the thought, she excused herself to the bathroom to take a break from the demanding brainstorming of subjects and tension. She wanted to wash her face but thinking it would ruin her makeup, she spilt some water on her bare arms. 

"She's so fucking hot." She heard some women giggle while entering the restroom. From the way they walked and talked, she realised they were very drunk. One of the women wore a very bold dress, revealing much of her cleavage while the other was more plainly dressed, in jeans and a white shirt tucked inside the waistband. The woman with the bold dress pulled the faucet and spilt some water with her handful on her breasts. Kara's eyes were wide at this moment, and she was glad they were too drunk to notice her existence. She stared fervently at the woman's breasts, wondering how it would feel in her palms if she touched them. _ I'm not attracted to women, I'm just curious.  _ She thought as she faced her reflection on the mirror. When she was about to turn away and exit the restroom, their conversation caught her attention.

"Seriously how can she be that fucking hot?" The same woman said while looking at her phone's screen. Then she showed the screen to the other only to agree and bite her lips. Kara thought their reactions were funny until she heard who they were talking about.

"Lena Luthor, someday I'm going to marry you." The woman with the bold dress almost moaned, making the other chuckle and Kara agitated. She glanced at them, and they still hadn't noticed her. 

"Nina is going to kill you if you talk about your fantasies with the Luthor again." 

"Oh, please we both know she would enjoy a threesome." She shamelessly said, making Kara fluster. 

"So would my John but I don't share." The woman with the white shirt replied, and they both burst into laughter. Kara thought she had heard enough. She turned to leave, but she stopped again.

"They just spotted her with an ash-blondie out of the Opium. Look." Kara discretely lowered her glasses and focused her gaze on the woman's phone screen. She saw Lena and Nessa holding hands and a massive crowd of paparazzi and people waiting in a queue around them. It looked like they were about to enter some club called Opium. She stayed in case she could learn more about this club's location. 

"Let's go, Emma! She might ditch that blondie for one of us, or both." The woman in the dress said suggestively making Kara's body tense up. Without realising her grip on the sink grew more robust, causing a small crack on the surface. When she saw it, she immediately let go of the sink, thanking Rao internally that the women were too drunk to notice. 

"They won't let us get inside, it's a private night. Plus, I think she had a thing for blondes. She was spotted recently with another blonde, and it was all over the news." Kara lowered her head to hide her smile and her face at the same time. 

"But we may not have another chance... Wait." The woman in the dress said as she took a glance of Kara for the first time. She pointed at Kara, and her friend turned to check. "It's her!" The woman shouted, making Kara panic. "What's she doing? She's spying on us? Luthor is ours, she ditched you like a... like... like a used condom, and now you're trying to take us down but we won't..." Her friend who seemed less drunk and more reasonable tried to stop her from swooping in Kara, but the woman was furious, and she pushed away from her friend harshly, making her bump on the wall behind her. She came up to Kara and raised her fist to punch her, but she avoided it, granting the woman the favour of saving her hand. Missing the target and under the alcohol's influence, she lost her balance, fell on the sink and Kara got the chance to escape. She opened the door quickly and exited the restroom. Before walking back to the table, she straightened the hem of her dress and put on a wide fake smile. William looked impatient and bothered by her delay.

"Is everything okay? You took a while in there." He asked as soon as he saw her. Kara thought it wasn't very polite asking such question, since she could have a digestion problem or something else and could be too embarrassed to talk about it, but she brushed it off her mind.  _ I didn't take that much time, after all, did I? _

"There was a poor woman, completely drunk. She was going crazy over her ex, and I had to stop her from punching a wall." William's features changed instantly, now looking surprised and almost amused. 

"I'm sure she will be thanking you tomorrow." 

"Yeah, I think so too." Kara agreed with a fake smile, knowing this woman would probably curse her for the rest of her life. "William, what do you think of leaving from this place?" She asked, and he looked confused at first. Before letting him form the wrong impression, she added quickly: "I thought it's been a while since I've danced, would you like to go to a club? I found one with excellent reviews." He looked dazed for a moment, but he quickly offered one of his broad smiles.

"You can't even drink alcohol and wanna head to a night club?" He asked sarcastically.

"It's not everything about drinking." She answered in a sweet tone, making him tilt his head slightly, trying to decipher her. 

"Kara Danvers, you're a big enigma to me." Kara gulped down and smiled, desperately trying to hide her nervousness. He continued to study her, and then he finally said: "I'm in. What's the club's name?"

"Opium."


	9. Dance with me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Straight sex analytical description at the end of the chapter. You can skip the scene and only read the last paragraph.

They had been waiting in the line for more than half an hour. The queue was so big that it ended two blocks away. William was growing impatient, and even though his face didn't show it, Kara could hear his heartbeat. And he had every right to do so because they had gone out on a romantic date, on a peaceful romantic restaurant and suddenly asked him to go to the club Lena was spotted. She didn't even think about it before recommending it out of nowhere, and now she was regretting it because she was about to ruin her night with him. She knew if she asked him to leave, he would probably never speak to her again, especially after embarrassing so many times today or letting him wait. But thankfully the line was shorter now, and they were almost inside. She noticed many people walked out, more than they entered the club and remembered it was a private night. Only people with reservations they were allowed and that probably prevented the bunch of paparazzi waiting outside of the club, perhaps for Lena or some other celebrity to show up. 

When their turn came, the doorman asked for the reservation's name, holding a paper list on his hand. They said they didn't have a reservation and the bouncer asked them to leave, informing them they couldn't let them in without a reservation. 

"No, wait I'm William Dey, you must know me I'm..."

"I don't care who you are, without a reservation we can't let you in." The bouncer retorted irritated for holding him up. Some people behind them whined and cursed them for stalling. 

"Wait, check for the "Lena Luthor" name," Kara said without daring to look at William's expression. The doorman huffed and focused back on the list, pointing the names quickly with his pen while reading them.

"There's no such name on the list." Kara leaned her head slightly to focus on the voices inside the club, searching for the one she knew perfectly well. And then she heard it. That careless and liberate laugh of Lena, the one she was used to hearing only when they were alone together. The one she used to save only for Kara. But now she wasn't the only one who could cause that laughter, and it made her bitter.  _ Of course, she doesn't even need a reservation to enter. Except if...  _ Kara thought maybe the reservation was on Nessa's name, but she wasn't sure of her last name. The bouncer gave the nod to his colleague, who was as big as a wardrobe. He moved threateningly upon them, and Kara immediately walked away to avoid any trouble. William though wanted to complain about the poor manners, but the man grabbed his arm and forced him to walk away. He almost lifted him in the air, like a feather and moved him across the street. Letting his arm go abruptly, he warned them to avoid coming back, and William swept his jacket pompously. But the doorman couldn't care less about him. He just walked away and stood beside the other bouncer, crossing his massive muscular arms. Kara was now irritated and desperate to get inside. She lowered her glasses slightly, without William noticing her, since he was still throwing malicious looks on the indifferent bouncer, and using her X-rays vision, she spotted the emergency door. 

"How dare he! I am William Dey!" He groaned exasperatedly.

"Yeah, I don't know how he can be so rude. We can't let him stop us from having fun!" Kara said decisively cultivating his ego.

"And what do you suggest? He won't let us get inside." 

"Maybe there's another way. Come." She said, and before he could protest, she grabbed his hand and pulled him across the street. The bouncer glanced at them, and Kara got a glimpse of him walking towards them with his fists clenched, but there were so many people waiting in the line that they managed efficiently to disappear in the crowd. Kara led them to a dark dead-end alley beside the club. The muffled sound of people's voices was interrupted by William's heavy footsteps in a puddle, creating a splash sound. They walked to a red door with a green "EXIT" sign above it. William turned the knob, but it was locked. He looked around to see if there was some other way to enter, but Kara gave it a try, and the door opened. 

"How did you do that?" William asked, surprised, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Huh, it was a sticky hinge," Kara said and held the door opened for him to get inside. She pulled the door to close it and let William walk first. Looking around, he realised they were in the club's lumber-room. Kara hastily hid the broken knob in one of the crates filled with bottles of alcohol, without letting William notice. The faint sound of music grew louder as they walked further inside. They came across with another door, having a sign "Personnel only". Luckily for them, especially for Kara, this door was unlocked. William went first to check whether it was guarded but seeing no bouncer around, he waved at Kara to follow him. They mixed with the crowd on the large dance floor, holding hands to stay close. The lights were off, making it hard for them to watch where they were stepping. Kara stepped on a young man's foot, and even though his wail wasn't heard, his grimace said it all. She asked sorry multiple times, but William pulled her away without noticing that she was in the middle of apologising. Hoping that he hadn't broken some finger was all could be done by her. She tried to be more careful, but strangers' bodies collided on hers, as they swayed and hopped frantically to the music. Lifting her head, she saw the reason why there were no lights on the dance floor. Led falling star lights covered the entire ceiling, lighting according to the rhythm of the electronic music, giving a trippy sensation to space. The lights flashed on her glasses, making her dizzy.  _ I hate clubs, what was I thinking?! _ Only the elevated DJ decks standing out of the crown, the two bars and the ceiling were illuminated. The rest of the space was dark. Kara saw some people inhaling some white dust that assumed she was cocaine and others taking some colourful pills. But most of the people were dancing, enjoying the music just with the company of their friends and alcohol. William ordered a Guinness for himself, earning a glancing look from the barman and Cola for Kara. He swang back and forth to the rhythm of the music, which, according to Kara, made him look ridiculous, but she didn't say something.

"Do you like it here?" He bent to shout at Kara's ear. He couldn't listen to his own voice by the loud music, but Kara had superhearing and her ears almost blend by his yelling and the deafening music. The bass vibrations caused her brain to vibrate too. She wanted to leave, but she knew it was too late for that.  _ You should have thought about it before forcing poor William into trespassing. You won't ditch him now, he doesn't deserve it. _

"Yeah, I do." She shouted back on his ear, knowing he wouldn't listen to her if she didn't practically scream. A strong push on her shoulder, made her arm jerk, and as a result, she spilt the Cola from her cup on William's shirt. A man with red and half-closed eyes asked sorry and kept walking. At first, he looked shocked and then irritated. Kara asked for some paper towel from the barman and tried to sweep his shirt, but it was too late. The fabric had already absorbed the Cola, creating a brownish stain. "William, I'm so sorry." She said with her tail between her legs.

"It's okay it wasn't your fault." He yelled again on her ear, making her flinch. The beat changed, and the crowd cheered. Some men and women took off their shirts and threw them to the probably famous DJ, while some others threw stuffed animals. Kara even watched, some bras landing on the decks, with wide eyes.  _ What is this place?  _ She turned to William only to see him shirtless, yowling and waving his shirt in the air. Her eyes impulsively fell on his well-formed abs making her mouth salivate to the view. But except for the divine body he possessed, she also noticed a weird tattoo on his flat belly of four letters, the "E", "L", "N", and "D". She would have to ask him about it later. Thinking she had enough for the night, ready to ask him to leave even if it looked like he had the moment of his life. But before she could talk to him, he leaned over her again.

"Isn't that Lena?" He asked, pointing at the VIP seats behind the DJ decks. Kara froze instantly and looked at the direction of his pointing finger. And then he saw her, sitting in the red dress with her legs crossed on a couch, holding a glass of champagne and Nessa glued on her, whispering something on her ear that made her laugh. Kara felt her heart speeding up.

"Yeah, it's her," Kara said disheartened. 

"You knew she would be here? Because you mentioned her name before to the bouncer." Kara turned to check William's face. He didn't look angry or troubled. Just genuinely interested.  _ Why would he be angry, Kara?  _

"No, I didn't. I just thought the doorman would let us pass at the mention of her name." 

"Oh, okay. Don't you want to go and greet her?" He was too good to be real Kara thought and impulsively, stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. His face lit up immediately. 

"What was that for?" 

"For being so good to me." She said and holding his hand, they moved in the crowd to make it to the stairs and reach the VIP zone of the club. 

Meanwhile, the alcohol running in Lena's veins made her steadily losing her inhibitions and having Nessa now so close to her, didn't seem like a bad idea. They were catching up with all the years they had missed while remembering some of their experiences together. Firstly, Lena was concerned about Nessa's health, and when she assured her she was clean since then, they jumped to other subjects and somehow even though they were in a club, more than two hours had passed by talking. Lena at first didn't want to go to the club, especially one with electro music, still remembering their deed in rave parties. But now it was different, and Nessa proved it to her. She had barely touched the champagne the whole night, while Lena was on her fourth glass. 

"This club reminds me of that one in Taiwan we had been, during the Chinese new year's eve," Lena shouted to be heard. Nessa was sitting on her leg, while her arm rested on the couch's pillow around Lena, creating an impression of dominance on her. She had noticed how men and women checked her out when they entered the club, and she wasn't in the mood for sharing. She had turned her body entirely to face her, not caring about the spectacle below them. Sometimes Lena would sit up on the couch, fixing her position and her elbow would brush Nessa's breasts, creating a direct impact on her nipples, covered only by the soft fabric. Nessa had made sure to wear a provocative slip jersey black jumpsuit, with skinny straps, a fitted bodice and airy, wide legs. Her drop earrings drew attention on her bare neck and chest, making it inevitable for Lena to avoid imagining her mouth there. 

"I knew you would like it. The craic in Taiwan was ninety even if they didn't have Don Diablo on the decks." Nessa answered, pleased with Lena's approval.

"Indeed."

"Remember that stoned guy, taking off his pants and showing his flute?" 

"Oh, god, yes. It was embarrassing. Everyone was so stoned in there that the guy walked around, naked for an hour until they call the security." They laughed together, and the bitter feeling of nostalgia hit them, especially Lena.

"We were delira and excira back then," Nessa said in a bitter tone.

"I never understood why you changed your number. Why you never returned my calls, not even a text." Lena's eyes were glossy by the tears she was holding back. Nessa's inner corners of the eyebrows pulled up together, while her lip corners pulled downward. She raised her hand to touch Lena's face but knowing better, she dropped it and placed it on her own knee. "I respected your condition, and I showed a great understanding of your behaviour, trying to convince myself for years that it was okay, but you don't know how much it hurt me." The alcohol made her vulnerable and softer. She should give the woman the cold shoulder for her actions, but instead, she was acting like a fragile kid.

"What did you want me to say? There was no point in keeping in touch while you were so far."

"I know that, but you could at least have told me, not disappear the way you did." Lena's bottom lip trembled, but she pushed herself and didn't let any tear fall. Because every time she cried in a public place, in front of someone, she would watch Lillian sneering at her. 

"I was a coward. And I know asking sorry now has no point but I am truly sorry." Lena lowered her head, but Nessa took hold of her chain and forced her to turn and look at her. She had arched closer now and looked Lena deeply in the eyes. "I never said thank you for saving me. Let me show you my gratitude for the old time's sake." She said suggestively fixing her eyes on Lena's lips. Lena parted her lips, mentally preparing for what was following. But no preparation could be enough for the following minutes of her life.

"LENAAA!" Kara was practically screaming, taking advantage of the loud music to cover the real reason for yelling. Lena immediately pulled back, and with wide eyes, she witnessed a Kara standing in front of her in a pink dress waving cheerfully and a shirtless William beside her. Forcefully admitting to herself, that he owned a body sculpted by gods, her eyes fixed the tattoo below his navel. Not wanting to make the wrong impression, she averted her eyes from his body and turned to Kara.

"Kara, what are you doing here?" She asked shockingly. Nessa beside her was inwardly swearing. Not just for getting interrupted, but for getting interrupted from her rival, Kara. She threw a malicious look at her, but when she turned to William, surprise overflew her.

"We...we were for dinner b...but we decided to have some fun!" Kara stuttered.

"And how did you get in here?" Nessa asked, annoyed.

"Kara had the smart idea to..." She shoved William on his side, mistakenly evaluating the amount of strength and he jumped up, grimacing by the pain. He rubbed his sides, and as his muscles tightened Nessa's eyes fixed shamelessly to them, which made Kara infuriated.

"William made a reservation and kept it as a surprise," Kara said quickly spotting a hint of irritation on Lena's look which was immediately replaced by her neutral business mask.

"Oh, how nice!" Lena exclaimed, but her voice lacked any show of enthusiasm, which made it sound more like sarcasm than honesty.

"Yeah how nice! Why don't you join us?" Nessa said and waved at the empty seats on their table. Kara wanted to deny, but William quickly sat down, setting his eyes on her cleavage that Lena was fast enough to catch a glimpse of. Her jaw clenched but not from jealousy. She couldn't care less about Nessa. Even if she was attracted to her, they were never exclusive, and they would never be, simply because their chemistry wasn't of this kind. Even if they had been friend with benefits in the past, Lena never saw more than that and knowing Nessa's sex drive, there was no chance she could fall for her. But except that, she enjoyed her company both as a friend and as a sex partner. The provenance of her annoyance was William's immodesty. She couldn't believe he would check another woman out while having Kara, his date, beside him. Noticing Nessa's flickering eyes when she caught him with her gaze, Lena realised her friend was drawn to him too. And knowing her, there was no chance she wouldn't do anything to entice him, especially since she antipathised Kara. 

When the waiter noticed Kara and William in their table, he came by to pick their orders. William glanced the menu of the drinks while Kara ordered another glass of Cola. Some minutes passed with the waiter standing next to William, waiting for his order, but he was taking too long to decide, and the waiter finally lost his patience and left to bring Kara's drink.

"Damn that's a costly club." He said with his eyes fixed on the list of drinks.

"You spent 150 euros for a reservation only to realise now that it's expensive?" Lena said sarcastically arching her eyebrow. Kara felt uneasy and was the first time seeing Lena showing off about her money on someone else. She used to always be noble and never cared about the other's wealth. This side of Lena made her feel discomfited because she as well couldn't afford for this club. Hadn't been the emergency door and her skills, they wouldn't be in there. She turned her head to watch a disgruntled William with close-set eyebrows and creased forehead. If he possessed laser vision, Lena would be as dead as a doornail now. But she didn't back down. Instead, she requited the look, in her own unique way, that gave Kara chills.

"Oh, William please! Let us buy you a drink. You seem a fascinating man." Nessa said suggestively, cutting the gaze battle between them and asked an extra glass and another bottle of champagne from the waiter. He smiled widely at her and thanked her. Kara didn't seem to catch the too friendly interaction between them. Because all her attention was on Lena, sitting like a queen in her throne, resting her hand on the couch's arm and holding a glass of champagne in the other while gazing deeply at Kara. "So tell us, William, how long you and Kara know each other?" Nessa asked out of sudden, forcing her to return her focus on the conversation. All of them participated except for Lena, who stared joyless at the dancing crowd. The darkness of the place made her have a darker complexion as well, adding some mystery on her silhouette. William told her about their job in CatCo and nagged about how annoying Andrea could be. Nessa pretended to be interested only because her ulterior motive was to seduce him. Lena knowing her tact shook her eye and drank the rest of the liquid in her glass. She was sitting, but she could still feel it affecting her. But it didn't bother her from drinking more since it was the only way she could bear this night. 

"You have an interesting piece down there," Nessa commented provocatively indicating at William's tattoo, but its double meaning was obvious. At least to William who felt heating up at her compliment. He smirked at her, and they shared an intense look.

"Oh, yes, William, I wanted to ask you too about it," Kara said innocently starring at the seamed skin, below the navel, because of his slouch position. Now he looked uncomfortable and sad instead of mischievously happy.

"The "E" stands for Ellen, my mother, "L" for Liam, my father, "N" for Nora my sister and "D" for my other sister, Daisy." He said while stretching his belly skin, indicating each letter. Lena rolled her eyes without anyone noticing. 

"How sweet! You're a family boy. Your family is lucky to have you." Nessa said with her Irish tone. Lena, on the other hand, thought it was a terrible tattoo not just because it was William's and she was on the verge of hating him, but because she felt such a sentimental tattoo that symbolised the love towards his family shouldn't be done on such a provocative part on his body. He should have done it on some other place, more intimate, or at least not a spot that screamed, "give me the attention I've got a six-pack", she thought.

"They don't. They died in a car accident when I was 16 years old." He said sadly, and Nessa reached for his knee, giving a small squeeze. It caught Kara's eyes, and she immediately moved closer to hug him.

"Oh, William I'm so sorry," Kara said and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, showing some possession. Lena sympathised with him because she acknowledged the pain of losing a parent. But she couldn't help but observe the preposterousness of the situation. Her best friend, Kara that Lena wished for being something more than a friend and her ex-friend with benefits, Nessa who wanted to re-experience some memories with Lena, now they both fought for a figurehead of a man. Without the slightest interest in attending their skirmish, she took a sip of her champagne. Most of the time, Lena's mind was absent from their conversation, avoiding Kara's face. And as the excessive amount of champagne she had consumed, affected her vision, it affected her thoughts too.

Because she couldn't help but imagine how pretty Kara would look without it. Since they had stepped their foot in Dublin, self-discipline had become more challenging for some reason she couldn't understand. Maybe it was all these mixed signs receiving from her friend that didn't even want to admit to herself. Whatever it was though, she felt disappointment and anger towards herself, because she was the master of self-control and discipline and couldn't let a small crush on her best friend conquer her apperception. Overthinking was an unhealthy trait but overthinking while being drunk, was very indisposed, and that made her suddenly stand up and headed to the dance floor. She wasn't accustomed to dancing publicly, because she was always self-conscious about her dancing skills, even though people would compliment her some times. But the alcohol made her bolder and reckless, and she was about to dance amongst strangers to the music she didn't fancy at all. At least not without the boost of ecstasy. But all of that belonged in the past. 

Climbing down the stairs carefully, she reached the dance floor, now feeling less brave and more diffident. Moving between drunk and sweated bodies, she was closer to the DJ now, who instead of playing another beat, he grabbed a microphone to speak to the crowd.  _ Great, now that I decided to dance...  _ He thanked people for attending his show, and as he climbed down the decks, the crowd roared. Some women ran upon him, but his bodyguards raised their hands, creating a chain to block them until he was gone from the back entrance that Kara and William had entered. Another DJ took over on the decks and started playing this time R&B.  _ Perfect.  _ Lena thought. She started swaying slowly to the rhythm when she felt a pair of hands circling her waist. Jolting and shivering to the unforeseen touch, she turned around hastily, ready to scrap the head of the man who dared to touch her, but she calmed down when she faced icy blue eyes starring at her greens. Nessa dropped her hands around Lena's neck, making her move along with her in perfect unison to the music that was blasted through the speakers, in the dim night club. Lena's hair was flowing wildly while the flashing lights hit her face perfectly. She rested her hands above Nessa's hips and closed her eyes, feeling their breaths mingle together. When she opened her eyes again, she caught a glimpse of Kara's eyes burning on her. She was on the dancefloor with William, looking completely awkward and lost. His robotic moves made him look ridiculous, especially when they switched for a too-quick sway of his hips that made him look like someone had plugged him in a socket. Kara was barely moving, not knowing what to do. A part of her wished she was a better dancer so she could join Lena just like Nessa did. Locking their eyes, Lena was incited to move as sensually as she possible. Nessa kept up with her the whole time, and some times it felt like a competition between them. Lena knew they were drawing the attention when two guys approached them. But they politely declined and continued dancing. The only attention she cared about attracting was Kara's. And she was surprised to see her eyes still fixed on her.  _ It's working! _

Kara, on the other hand, was struggling to keep her attention on William. But watching Lena dance like that was almost a torture and at the same time something she had never experienced before. Lena was always contained, worrying about her social image even while being drunk. She wasn't even aware that her friend was such a good dancer. Her hips moved so sensually that aroused men and brought out women's envy around her. 

Nessa noticed Lena's gaze elsewhere and turned to check where she was looking at, and when she saw Kara, she felt rage and annoyance. But instead, she put on a polite smile and turned to Lena.

"You really like her, don't you?" Lena's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

"She is your best friend. You must really like her." Nessa was testing her, and she knew it. One of the most important lessons she learned during her master in business, was to avoid answering in question she didn't want to answer. And those methods had made her life more comfortable as well. 

"Yes, she is my best friend and William is her date!" She made sure of emphasising the word "date". 

"Are you suggesting something?" 

"Don't play the innocent to me. I saw the way you looked at him."

"Who? That knacker?" She admitted Nessa's acting skills were marvellous, but her wittiness couldn't allow her to be fooled by the angelic innocent face of her friend. 

"If you attempt anything, I swear..."

"I'll get you some water since you're obviously mouldy and don't know what you're talking about." Before Lena answer, she turned around and disappeared in the crowd. William danced, still shirtless even though most people had put their shirts back on, and was trying to encourage Kara to dance when he felt a slight push on his back. He turned around and saw Nessa walking away, turning her head only to give him a nod to follow her, with a suggestive smile. He instantly excused himself, saying he had to use the restroom, leaving Kara alone on the dance floor looking like a lost puppy. 

She was about to walk back to their table when she felt a firm grip on her arm stopping her on her tracks. 

"You're not going to join me?" She heard Lena's breathlessly voice next to her ear. Her hot breath against her neck caused her shivering. Even though they had cleared up everything with Lena, there were little moments where she felt a kind of inexplicable tension between them. Like before, when they were gazing each other. It wasn't a negative tension, but she couldn't accept it was sexual tension either, not just because she was never attracted to a woman before but also because she was her best friend.  _ But friends are not meant to make you shiver. _

Kara turned around to face Lena instantly looking at her deviously red voluptuous lips. And she noticed as she noticed the goosebumps on her neck. She was aware Kara's body had its own language that her mind couldn't interpret, not now maybe not ever, but she was too drunk to resist. This made her risky, and unpredictable even to herself.

"I don't think so. I'm not good at dancing. Besides, it doesn't seem you need my help." Kara said calmly, but Lena knew it was only a pretence.

"Careful Kara. You're almost starting to sound jealous." Lena provoked with an arched eyebrow. 

"Just stating the facts." Kara retorted trying to look composed and neutral, but Lena could sense her nervousness from afar. She loved that power over her. The same she gained every time she made a compliment to her, receiving a blush and a "thank you" in return. Taking advantage of that power, Lena's hand slowly moved to Kara's back, making her twitch unintentionally and gently pulled her closer only to whisper in her ear:

"Dance with me." Kara's body stiffened. Alcohol made Lena bold and flirty while her voice of reason screamed to remind her to be careful, but her vision was blurry as well as the boundaries of their friendship. 

Lena intertwined their fingers and pulled Kara in the corner of the dance floor to feel more comfortable since the shadows prevented them from being watched by many people. At first, Kara was self-conscious and uncomfortable, but Lena told her to just copy her moves, and after some time, she loosened up. Lena enjoyed seeing her carefree while taking advantage at the same time, of their close proximity to admire her beautiful facial features. Rolling her body to the soft R&B music, she felt Kara's eyes on her. She moved closer and tried to get her to do the same. Kara imitated her movements surprisingly well, making her feel proud and excited. Lena interlaced their hands again to wheel Kara around, so she was facing her back now. She inched closer until she felt Kara's hips on hers, making her gasp when she placed her hands on her sides. Lena softly began pressing and rolling her hips against her backside, instructing her with her hands to follow the rhythm of the music. Her heart was almost beating out of her chest and tried to look unfazed and collected, but it was impossible.

Kara was at the same state with her friend and wasn't so good at hiding it. She had her eyes closed, enjoying every inch of Lena's pressed body on hers. Craving for more contact, Kara threw her head back, letting it rest on her crook of the neck, feeling her neck tingle by Lena's long luscious hair. Feeling the hot breath on her neck, she knew they were dangerously close. Letting herself free of any inhibitions, her lower region throbbed at the thought of her friend's lips being pressed on her neck. But Lena stepped back abruptly, forcing Kara to take a step back as well to maintain her balance. She turned around to face her, completely stunned and landed back to the real world.  _ What are we doing? _

"I'm sorry. I'm wasted." Lena said bewildered and walked away, leaving behind a baffled Kara as well. 

In the meantime, Nessa and William had been closed up in the restroom and locked the door, making sure no one could interrupt them. Neither caring about the queue that had formed outside, by people waiting to enter the toilet nor about some of them exclaiming that they would call the security to get them out. Actually, the idea of getting caught aroused them even more.

"Damn." Nessa hissed, raking her nails over his abs and down the v-line. Tracing with her fingers his tattoo, she smiled mischievously at him, and he grabbed her head to pull her in a sloppy heated kiss. Her hands stroked his skin teasingly, but he was too impatient and grabbed her wrist to force her to touch him where he wanted. She felt his harness above his trousers while with her other free hand, she clasped his hair, dishevelling it. Straining for the leash, he unzipped his pants and pulled down his pants to reveal his member. Grabbing her wrist again, he groaned as her hand came in contact with him. Nessa internally laughed at his desperation and hurry.  _ Men...  _ Her kisses moved to his neck while stroking him at a steady slow pace. His hands moved to her breasts under the soft fabric, grabbing them firmly and squeezing, like a little boy enjoying his new toy. Watching that he wasn't getting fully erected, Nessa leaned on his ear and whispered, "I'll take care of you" receiving a convulsion of his member as a response. She let her jumpsuit's shoulder straps fall, revealing her torso ultimately and knelt down without breaking the eye contact the whole time. Slowly grasping it with her hand, Nessa leaned down, wrapping her plump lips around the tip, obtaining a moan from him. He threw his head back with his eyes shut, and as she began to work her mouth expertly, he grabbed her head to keep it steady and moved back and forth fucking her mouth. Tears and drool ran down Nessa's neck. Giving a firm push, he entered deeper in her throat, staying still for a few seconds while pushing her head more towards him.

A bang from the door made them jump, and he quickly removed his part from her throat, covering it with his hands. They watched stupefied, two bulky bouncers coming for them with clenched fists and three others, raising their arms to shunt people, who arched their heads desperately to catch a glimpse of the spectacle or take some photos. But scanning the room with their eyes, they sighted another pair of wide eyes and a bemused face. And while Nessa smiled mischievously, while being forced to stand of her feet and cover her breasts by one of the bouncers, William's colour had drained from his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just read season 6 is going to be the last?! Better make that a good one...


	10. Proud of you

Kara couldn't sleep the whole night. She tossed and turned under the soft blankets, but everything bothered her. The way the pillow's side was getting warm by her burning cheeks, the sheets that felt sticky in her sweaty toes. She couldn't remember when was the last time she sweated. It was a bizarre sense to her, usually getting it when she got some panic attacks or that time she exhausted herself and caught a cold. Raising her head to pick her phone from the nightstand, she called Lena for the sixth time. After walking away from Kara on the dance floor, she never saw her again.

The sun was about to raise from minute to minute, and she was apprehensive about her friend. Kara could easily search her in the city, but except having to keep a low profile, she wasn't sure Lena wanted to be found after the incident in the club. Their dance was the only thing Kara could think of. It bothered her that she had enjoyed it way too much. When William had returned later from the restroom, she felt too guilty to even look at him in the eyes. And he seemed very upset about something. Kara was scared he had seen them dancing like that, and she wasn't sure if it was kindness or something else, the reason he hadn't picked up a fight. At least not yet. Because everyone watching them could notice it wasn't a simple dance amongst friends and Kara worried what it meant about their friendship. They had crossed a line that night, and she couldn't blame only Lena for that, since she had played her part as well. If she was raised in Krypton or Argo City, it wouldn't matter that much, but now, being attracted to her female friend was a whole new addition to her life. But Lena, being attracted to her at the same time? That was impossible. She was Lena Luthor, the most beautiful creature, Kara had ever laid eyes on. And she wasn't even sure how deep that attraction was, towards her friend. Maybe pretending nothing had happened was the key to maintain their friendship. Because even though Lena was seductive that night, she was also drunk and there were high chances, she would regret it in the morning.

After a couple of hours, Kara had finally dozed off, but the rattling of the keys in the hallway woke her up. She opened her eyes immediately and ran down to the living room with her super speed. Lena had just entered the apartment, looking like a mess. Her tangled hair looked like a birds nest, her red lipstick was smeared, and she walked barefoot, carrying her heels with her hands along with her clutch. Turning around, she saw Kara looking at her worriedly with wide eyes.

"Morning," Lena said with a groggy voice like she was just woken up.

"Lena! I was worried about you!" Kara shrieked, and Lena grimaced painfully, covering her ears.

"Could you please speak lower?"

"Sorry." Lena walked to the kitchen, dropping her belongings on the couch, to pour herself a glass of water, feeling dehydrated from the sleep and the alcohol. 

"I was with Nessa." Kara's fists clenched hearing her name. She tried not to imagine what they were up to the entire night. "I was too drunk to drive, and she insisted on taking me to her place to sleep." Lena lied. She leaned forward and pulled a box of ibuprofen to soothe her headache. 

"I thought so," Kara said with an ill manner that drew immediate Lena's attention, tilting her head slightly. 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I, uh, I mean, since you were more than friends, it's normal to uh, to... To do... Stuff? With her?" Kara stuttered, trying to save it while cursing herself for not being more careful with her words.

"We didn't have sex," Lena said cynically. Under other circumstances, she would find it funny that Kara couldn't even say the word "sex". But now she was too tired to deal with her prudish friend.

"Oh, okay. How come?" Kara asked, digging her nails in her palms, feeling shame for asking such a thing. Lena arched her eyebrow, completely surprised because Kara wasn't the type of friend that asked such questions. The sudden interest in her sexual life, made Lena wonder whether their dance had pushed Kara in the realisation of her own feelings. _Too good to be true, she's probably just curious or shows interest to ask her back about the douche._

"I wasn't in the mood. How was your night with William?" Unexpectedly to Lena, Kara was taken aback by her question.

"It was nice. We didn't stay long after you... left." Lena saw the hesitation of even mentioning their dance and decided not to push it.

"I'm happy you had a good time." She replied without even trying to look happy. Her tiredness consumed her. Checking the time on her phone, she noticed they had to get prepared for the horse riding, cursing herself inwardly for accepting the invitation. All she wanted was to sleep. Since they arrived, she hadn't slept properly. Remembering she would have to see William with them and pretending she hadn't witnessed that despicable spectacle yesterday, was too much to handle. It wasn't that she had the intentions to keep it a secret and lie to her friend, she just waited for the right moment. Nessa had promised her that she would speak to William and ask him to confess to Kara, but Lena didn't trust her at all. It was up to her, opening Kara's eyes even if she knew it would break her heart. But doing it right before meeting all of their friends wasn't appropriate, and it was a big conversation, demanding time. She informed Kara that Bettystown beach was 50 km away and that it would probably take them half an hour to get there if the traffic was low.

Lena also said that they couldn't take William with them since her car was two seated and he would have to find another way to come. _If he has the guts to show up._ Kara replied that she would call to notify him, making Lena feeling guiltier because she was confident that if Kara knew the truth about him, she would get to curse him instead. Excusing herself to take a shower, Lena climbed the stairs at a slow pace, accentuating her tiredness. Reaching the bathroom, she removed her creased dress and stepped in the shower. Adding to the sponge some shower gel, she rubbed it on her skin vigorously, in an attempt to remove the dirt she felt after everything. Trying to pull her guilt as well. 

_7 hours ago_

_William's colour had drained from his face, while Nessa smiled mischievously at her friend. Lena's eyes were throwing daggers at them. She was a step ahead of the curious crowd when she felt a firm push forcing her to take some steps back. The bouncer's bulky body pushed the public to open a path to escort the guilty couple. Lena followed them with her eyes and then with her feet. When she felt the man's firm grip trying to stop her, she threw some paper money on him and claimed they were her friends. Putting the money in his jeans' pocket, he let her pass and led her to the manager's office. Stepping inside, she saw William and Nessa sitting on a couch while the club's manager humiliating them with curses. He picked up the phone to call the police but stopped when the bouncer introduced Lena._

_"She said she's their friend." The muscular man with the black T-shirt with a print of the club's name said._

_"And? Why did you bring her here?" The manager yelled, sputtering droplets of saliva as he opened his mouth furiously. He was around his forties but looking much older from the bad quality of his life. Managing a club wasn't easy, because it required sleeping during the day and being awake at night, missing the most precious hours of sleep and that was written on his face. He had a double chin of the excessive consumption of alcohol, even if he wasn't overweight, and the first signs of baldness were evident on the top of his hair. His clothes weren't as formal as the club's reputation. He was dressed just in a white shirt with blue thin vertical stripes and blue jeans. Judging from his style, Lena supposed he wasn't a high and mighty man, even though it wouldn't be odd if he was, considering the night club's excellent reputation. But right now, he was enraged, and his manners towards Lena, or anyone else, didn't indicate any signs of good nature. But no one could blame him since his night club was running the risk of getting a downfall after the incident. It could mean the poor man's destruction, Lena thought. However, her empathy couldn't mess with her pride. She wouldn't let that angry man belittle her. Clenching her jaw and raising her chin, she took a step forward to speak for herself before the bouncer reply to his boss._

_"My name is Lena Luthor, and I'd like to make you an offer." She said, leaving past her the bouncer and standing before the manager's office. He looked at her with a mix of anger and respect at the same time. She took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, catching a quick glimpse of William and Nessa. They sat on the couch, and while William looked astonished, Nessa looked bored. But Lena knew she only pretended, she didn't care about the consequences. The manager sat down on his chair too and stared at Lena like sizing her up. He was aware of her reputation, her wealth and fame, it was apparent._

_"I'm listening." He said, intertwining his fingers together with his elbows resting on the chair's arms._

_"51/49 partnership." Lena proposed out of sudden, plainly. The man looked severe at first, taken aback, but then his lips curved in a smile, and he finally laughed hysterically._

_"You women are something else!" Nessa huffed listening to the man's sexist comment, but Lena remained still, her face not revealing any kind of emotion. She had been dealing with such men since she took over the Luthor Corp, it wasn't something new to her. Convincing clients to invest in her L-Corp was always challenging, but after all these years of practice, she had climbed the ladder of success. Convincing this man seemed like a piece of cake for her._

_"I let you have the 51." She said in the same tone gaining another frantic laugh from the man._

_"You let me? Who do you think you are?" He said now, exasperated._

_"Lena Luthor as I said. I own the..."_

_"Yeah, yeah, I know you're a spoiled billionaire. You think you can always get what you want, but this business is mine! I've built it with sweat and sacrifices, something you can't understand since you were bathing in gold from the day you were born." Lena was accustomed to those words. It wasn't the first time someone envy accused her of being spoiled and having everything without an effort. But it bothered her every time because they didn't understand that rich people had become rich for some reason. Sure she was born with money, but she had worked her butt off every day since the Luthors adopted her._

_Getting good grades at a highly competitive school, learning foreign languages, graduating from MIT, getting master and PhD, all of these required sacrifices. She wasn't of those lazy people sitting around all day just because their parents were billionaires. But mainly, her most significant achievement was L-Corp. Because she had managed to change the company's aims entirely and with a great success, preventing Luthor Corp from bankruptcy. This required full commitment to her job, making it extremely hard for her to preserve a personal life at the same time. Lastly, what bothered her too was when people thought rich people were just lucky and didn't fight in their lives about anything like the lower social classes. Because almost no one was just lucky. Money didn't just come one day by itself. In most of the cases, she was aware of, it took entire generations and investments to self-education. The newer generation of a family would try to become better than the previous one, making more money than them. Suddenly, all the empathy she felt for the man was gone, and it was replaced by anger. But her face never betrayed her thoughts._

_"Either you accept my offer, or the incident will be all over the news tomorrow and directly from the source." She said cynically indicating with her gaze William and Nessa. Crossing her legs, relaxing on her seat, she observed the man's features that seemed now maddened. She enjoyed every inch of his annoyance._

_"GET OUT NOW!" He screamed, standing up abruptly, making the chair crash on the white wall behind him. He hit his hand on the table right in front of Lena, but she didn't move an inch, neither her eyes blinked. She had been through much worse than a hot-headed man that wasted the opportunity of his life. Especially since his life was threatened. Not just by her, but by the numerous people that took pictures and videos of the incident too. She stood up slowly, and before turning away, she decided to try one last time._

_"You call the police to arrest them, a trial follows, everyone knows about it, videos and photos will be posted on social media tomorrow, and the following obloquy will drown you. You won't be able to cover the club's expenses and personnel. You will see the customers' reduction in no time and end up being broke. Unless you accept my offer. I will buy 49% of this place, which means you'll instantly get 5 million in your bank account. You'll still lead this place, I'll never intervene in your club's management. Even if people start talking about this incident and you start losing customers, you'll have money, enough to never work for the rest of your life. Or start a new business, I don't care." His facial features now had softened, seriously considering her offer this time. It was taking some time to respond, but Lena lacked the patience to wait for him more, so she turned around to walk away, pushing him to give an answer before she reached the door. She was about to turn the knob when she heard his voice._

_"Stall the beans." He said, and she smirked triumphantly. Turning around, her face was neutral again. "I accept your offer." He muttered, annoyed._

_"Grand. I'll call my lawyers tomorrow to prepare the contracts and call some contacts to remove from the internet any post related to the incident. In the meantime, let these two go." She said, turning to look at them for the first time. William looked shocked and scared while Nessa's sexual excitement of Lena's bossiness, was all over her cheeks. But Lena was disgusted by these two. Especially, William. Exiting the room, she descended some stairs, reaching the VIP tables. She had heard Nessa calling her name from behind, but she didn't want to face her in there. Not when Kara could appear at any time. She had lost the control tonight, and even though her friend hadn't seemed to mind at that moment, Lena was afraid of the impact that night would have to their friendship. Losing Kara again was not an option anymore. Throwing one last glance at the dance floor, she walked to the exit. She handed the tag with the number to the assistant, and the woman returned with Lena's coat. Nessa literally ran to catch Lena, and when she did, her hand clasped her friend's wrist, forcing her to turn. But Lena, knowing whose grip was, resisted, and pulled away from Nessa, like her touch had burned her skin._

_"Lena, let me explain."_

_"What is there to explain?" Lena asked still with her back on Nessa. Silence followed, confirming her words. "That's what I thought."_

_"Where are you going?"_

_"I'm leaving."_

_"You're too drunk to drive." Lena opened her mouth to protest but closed it knowing that her friend was right. She was too drunk indeed, but that didn't mean she had to accept Nessa's ride, especially since she wouldn't get an honest answer from her. "Please, let me drive you home at least." Lena turned around and nodded. She entered her friend's car, leaving hers in the club's parking lot and waited for Nessa to start driving. Battling whether they should have this conversation or not, her eyes focused on the city's lights out of the window. "Why did you do it? You lost 5 million that way." Nessa asked out of sudden after a long time driving. Watching the Capital Docks building from afar, her chest clenched at the idea of having to face Kara too. She had dumped her on the dance floor out of sudden, knowing if she didn't leave, Lena would have done something she wouldn't probably regret. Avoiding her for the rest of night wasn't a bad idea, mainly because she hadn't decided yet whether she should tell her about what she saw. Checking at the time on the car's dashboard, she noticed it was past 4 a.m. Sighing surrendered to her tiredness, she made up her mind and said:_

_"Turn around, we're going to your place." Nessa's confusion was evident on her face, but she didn't ask anything, knowing Lena wouldn't tell her anyway. She took a left turn exiting the highway and drove quietly to her house. They didn't speak the whole time, Lena never answered her question._

_They entered her apartment. It was large and cosy. Lena dropped her belongings on the couch and gathered some scattered pillows to rest her head. Nessa noticed Lena was about to sleep on the sofa and realised her friend was there only to avoid Kara for her own reasons. Probably feeling guilty for what she had witnessed. Nessa thought it was a good chance to convince her to turn against Kara. "Now that she's vulnerable." She thought._

_"Lena, yo..."_

_"If you're going to ask me why I'm at your place instead of my house, yes, I am avoiding Kara because of your rubbish!" Lena said abruptly catching Nessa by surprise._

_"Oh, you're thick and mouldy..."_

_"And you're acting like a whore!" Lena retorted._

_"And you came to my house to throw shapes! If you think I'm going to let you..."_

_"And what do you want me to do?" She stood up on her feet, still dizzy from the alcohol, but her anger prevailed. "You can fuck anyone you want, but you found the one Kara likes?"_

_"Oh, this is all about. Your friend." Nessa said, ironically forming the quotation marks with her fingers while saying the word friend. "For just a best friend, you..."_

_"Don't you even dare finish that sentence! My relationship with Kara is none of your concern!" Lena interrupted threatening. Nessa had seen her friend once this angry and knew how terrifying Lena could become. She knew if someone disrespected her, the words' damage seemed negligible compared to her actions. So, remaining quiet, Nessa let Lena vent but without feeling the slightest remorse. Because she hated Kara, she hated that Lena had only eyes fo,r that woman who wasn't even attractive in her opinion. "Why did you do it? You can have anyone you want, but you fucked the only person I told you no to!"_

_"Not anyone, not you." Lena's face changed as she was surprised to listen to such words from Nessa's mouth._

_"So this is about me? You fuck people's lives to get to me?" Nessa knew if she admitted it, she would lose Lena forever. Because even within her twisted mind, she acknowledged the craziness she carried. But that's why Nessa had loved Lena in the past. She accepted her with all her craziness. Watching Lena was different now made it unable to stop blaming Kara for her change of mind._

_"Oh, please don't flatter yourself. You know me. I don't have a reason for everything I do."_

_"I think you do."_

_"I don't, but speaking of reasons, what was yours? You never answered my question." Nessa turned the tables, and surprisingly it worked since Lena was still drunk. Lena took a deep breath and sat down again, exhausted by the entire situation. "Why I can't have peace just for once?" She asked herself inwardly._

_"The penalties for a summary conviction under the section are a fine or a jail term not to exceed one month. Considering you were in a club, blocking everyone from getting in the restroom to have sex, even if I the best lawyer represented you, I don't think you would have avoided some time in jail. What do you think would happen if you went to prison? You might be clean for years, but anyone can break in jail." Nessa sat down beside her._

_"You did this for me?" She couldn't believe Lena still cared about her, especially after what she did. Hope overflew her._

_"You seriously thought I would do that for William? Nothing would give me more pleasure than watching him behind bars."_

_"Okay, I didn't know. Why do you dislike him that much?"_

_"Are you seriously asking me that after all, you did?" Nessa fell silent, her face lowering to stare her legs._

_"Thank you." She said to Lena, who was massaging her temple to soothe her nerves. She didn't reply to Nessa, because a "thank you" couldn't fix anything. "Are you going to tell Kara?" Nessa asked._

_"I should, but I don't like the idea of being the one to break her heart."_

_"Except if she watches it somewhere on the internet. I'm sure a bunch of lads took a good picture of us before the bouncers stepped in."_

_"Her phone is broken and haven't replaced it yet. Moreover, my technicians will take down every post about it."_

_"Okay, if you think so... But she should learn it from William himself."_

_"You became a role model of morality now, didn't you?" Lena said sarcastically, infuriating her friend._

_"I deserved that. I'll talk to William, to convince him to talk to Kara." Lena was staggered, not wanting to believe that Nessa had suddenly ready to take responsibility for her actions._

_"Will you actually do that?"_

_"For you, anything," Nessa said in a softer tone, her eyes fixed on Lena's and for a moment to her lips. But Lena was fast to react._

_"I'm going to crash on your couch now. I'm super tired." She said, leaning back on the sofa and taking off her heels._

_"Are you sure you don't want to come to bed?" Nessa asked innocently, but she knew better her proposal hid a suggestion. She denied and lied down, resting her feet on the soft couch. Nessa handed a blanket to Lena and headed to the bedroom._

_"See you tomorrow in Bettystown," Nessa said before tapping the light switch off._

Present

Kara waited for Lena to get prepared, while sitting on the kitchen stool, eating her pancakes with maple syrup. She had ordered breakfast delivery from a coffee house with the right critics. Scrolling down the news, an article about a scandal in the Opium showed up. She heard Lena descending the stairs while reading it. 

"Good morning. I ordered you some breakfast and black espresso." She said with her eyes fixed on the screen. 

"Thank you," Lena said while placing on the counter a plate to put her buckwheat pancakes. 

"Oh, look at this! A couple got caught, having sex in the toilets of the club last night." Lena's eyes widened, and her movement froze immediately. Her heart accelerated, cursing her body reactions because Kara could listen. Turning around, she saw Kara reading the article on the tablet. _Bollocks, I forgot about the iPad!_ "Lena? Is everything alright?

"Yes, yes, of course! She said, putting a fake smile on her face as soon as Kara lifted her head to check her. "Some people can be so reckless today!" Lena chuckled without any sign of genuine entertainment of this conversation.

"Oh, wait. What happened?" Kara said reloading the page, but error 403.8 kept showing up. "It won't load!" Lena was pleased to see that her technicians followed her orders to the letter.

"Maybe some error in the server. Anyway, darling, I think it's time to go now." She said and grabbed the tablet from Kara's hands abruptly but trying to soothe her ill manner with a fake broad smile. Kara was suspicious, watching her friend acting all weird around her, but she didn't push it, thinking it might have to do with their dance. Instead, she got on her feet and went to take her jacket protesting that Lena hadn't touched her breakfast. 

"It's okay, I always skip breakfast anyway when I get to work."

"That's very unhealthy, and you know it!" Kara complained.

"Yes, but unfortunately, I don't have the privilege to stop time whenever I find it comfortable."

"I'm pretty sure you can think something about it," Kara said jokingly, walking to the exit with Lena behind her almost pushing her to walk faster. But she was sure if Lena wanted, she could have invented a device that stops time.

"Yeah, whatever." Lena huffed, locking the door. 

The ride was quiet, and fortunately, there wasn't much traffic on the road as soon as they left the city. Kara enjoyed their trip even if it was a small distance one. Every time the car accelerated and heard the engine roar, a smile formed on her face and Lena was pleased to see the preference on loud cars was mutual. 

"Do you still wish everyone used electric cars?" Lena boasted. 

"Okay, not everyone. But it still breaks my heart the gasoline it takes to feed this beast and the pollution it reproduces." 

"Hey, at least it's a hybrid! 

"Yeah, whatever." Kara waved in the air to show her disapproval, but deep down she loved this car and loved teasing Lena even more. When she heard a song she liked on the radio, she turned up the volume, making Lena's migraine worse, but didn't complain, because witnessing Kara carefree, singing with her lovely voice was exceptional. Lena had never listened to Kara singing all these years, and she wondered why she kept such talent hidden. When the song was over, Kara turned the volume back to normal again.

"Kara, your voice... I have no words... It's wonderful. Why don't you sing more often?" Lena caught a glimpse with the corner of her eye a completely blushed Kara, praising herself inwardly.

"Oh, I don't think it's something to be proud of," Kara said shyly.

"Are you codding me? I wish I could sing like you!"

"Codding uh? Watch it miss Luthor, you are going to give yourself away to the mean, full of sexists, board." Kara said teasingly, and they both chuckled, with Lena shaking her head disapprovingly. "Thank you." She said profoundly when they stopped laughing and squeezed Lena's hand that rested on the gearbox. Watching her friend freezing up instantly, she removed it quickly, like the contact had burned her skin. _Damn stupid self why did you do it?_

The rest of the drive was under an uncomfortable silence, but neither of them knew what to say. Lena was lost deep in her thoughts, trying to convince herself that Kara's gesture was in a friendly way, and she shouldn't have reacted like that, at least not having shown her surprise. Kara, on the other hand, cursed herself for reaching for Lena's hand. She felt lately craving for Lena's touch all the time, and even though the real reason became evident to her the previous night, Kara was convinced that it would ruin their friendship. Because there was a chance to be just a phase since she was always attracted only to boys, and Lena strongly disapproved participating in exploring their sexuality with someone. Besides, after ages, everything was excellent in her life. She had her best friend, her relationship with her sister had improved slightly, and William was a catch. Only Nia and Brainiac were missing from her life, but knowing how strong their friends were, she was convinced that they would return soon. Both of them. 

Entering a small town, Lena took the turns the GPS indicated and finally parked the car out of a horse riding centre. Opening the door, they spotted Lena's friends, along with William, sitting on a table and having a conversation. When Sean's eyes met them, he smiled cheerfully and got up.

"Heyy!" He yelled, walking towards Lena to press her tight in a hug. She told him a grumpy "Morning" and hugged him back involuntarily. Then he turned his attention to Kara, who was standing behind Lena. "Karaa!" He shouted and approached her to hug her. Kara hadn't slept all night, and even if she wasn't getting as tired as humans, she swore this guy's voice was the most annoying thing she would have to bear for the entire morning. After Nessa of course. A strong feeling of identification with her friend's grumpy mood consumed her, but she greeted him back with a smile and a hug since she wasn't comfortable enough, to be honest about her moodiness. "How's she cuttin'?" He asked out of sudden, making Kara's eyebrows furrow, trying to figure out what he meant.

"Who's she cutting what?" She asked, and everyone barked in laughter, including Lena who tried to hide it with her hand. All, except William who had the same stunned face as Kara. Everyone had calmed down a bit, still laughing though except Lena who turned at Kara smiling.

"I'm sorry. He meant how are things." Lena explained politely, and Kara had to facepalm herself inwardly for not understanding such a blatant expression. She had made it to figure out way more difficult words and phrases during the night in the restaurant when they didn't bother explaining to her, their dialect.

"Oh, right," Kara said in a severe tone making Lena's face falter. She apologised again, but before Kara could answer, Nessa stepped in.

"A ride came to ride," Nessa said suggestively, and Kara had to rub her temple because, she thought, it was the lamest wordplay she had ever witnessed. Lena tensed up, throwing a vicious look at her, that Kara noticed and couldn't understand why. Many reasons passed through her mind, one of them was the morning's article. Maybe Nessa had to do something to it. Kara wouldn't be surprised. 

"Kara! Good morning!" William walked to Kara to give her a hug, continually feeling Lena's death glare on himself. He pretended that he didn't notice.

"How's she cuttin'?" Ciara asked hugging Lena and giving a polite smile to Kara, who reciprocated.

"Grand," Lena said grumpily, and before Ciara could respond, Sean's loud cheerful voice sounded, cutting her off.

"Guys, this is Conor, my boyfriend!" He said, walking beside a young man with a darker complexion, light brown eyes and a stunning smile. They were all excited to meet him, and they didn't back off from asking many questions, making the conversation look like an interrogation. Ciara felt terrible about the Conor, who worked as a riding instructor in the centre, and recommended to change the topic. They all immediately apologised to him, but he laughed it off and said it was fine. Only William was silent and observed the man with narrowed eyes.

"So, Conor, where are you from?" He asked out of sudden, making everyone turn to look at him. Most of them looked about to kill him, especially Lena and Sean. Kara was somewhat embarrassed. 

"I'm Irish," Conor responded politely.

"Really? Because I thought..."

"Because I am black, I am an immigrant from Africa?" Conor cut him off with a sarcastic tone, and Kara hid her face in her palm. Lena felt guilty for once again. Had she told her about him, she would have dropped him and wouldn't have to suffer this humiliation. Because her friends knew of William as Kara's boyfriend. Except for Nessa of course.

"Yeah, I thought most Irish people were with black hair, blue eyes and white skin." 

"No, trust me, black Irish exist for centuries now," Conor said calmly trying to hide his annoyance. Sean gave a small squeeze in his hand, interlacing the fingers and William followed the movement, with his eyes, but didn't say anything. Conor informed them that he had prepared their horses and they walked to the stables to mount their horses. William said he wasn't familiar with horse riding, and Conor offered to help him, but he said he could make it on his own. As a result, Sean's boyfriend let him on his own fate. William got on the horse quickly but had no idea how to ride. Taking his lead lines, he pulled them too firmly, and the horse jerked and neighed. He had to hold from the saddle tightly to avoid crashing on the ground. Lena and the others chuckled, including Kara that felt bad for him and approached him to give some instructions. 

"Oh, it's so hot today." Nessa moaned loudly, waving to make some air to herself. She took off her coat and unbutton her cotton twill jacket, saturated in a bold leopard print, revealing her black lacy tank top. Her breasts looked like about to explode by the small-sized bra she wore, that drew William's eyes immediately. Lena had to huff and shake her head in annoyance, watching him checking her out shamelessly right next to Kara. Her friend's focus was on Nessa too, having a disgusted look on her face. Lena couldn't blame her. Nessa was a very daring and provocative person, but spending months with her, she knew there was a hidden right side of her and that her need for attention and reassurance came from her insecurities. 

Lena pulled on the reins lightly to get her horse's attention and gave it a quick squeeze on its sides with her calves to start walking. She headed before everyone and pulled the reigns back, leaning back at the same time to force the horse to stop. She patted it softly beside the thick mane, satisfied with its immediate correspondence while waiting for everyone to get on their horses' back. Kara couldn't help but admire the gloriousness she transmitted, mounting a Friesian horse, in her deep red mid-coat, black leggings and black leather riding boots. She looked very comfortable like she rode a horse every day instead of driving a car equal to the peak power of 14155 actual horses. 

"Why does she always get a Friesian?" Sean asked crankily, throwing a jealous look at Lena's regal horse. Lena didn't respond and instead stuck her tongue out at him. She had moved ahead of them to be ready to precede the others, but Ciara took advantage of her moment of breeziness and cued her horse to start sprinting.

"THE LAST TO LAYTOWN BUYS EVERYONE LUNCH!" Ciara yelled, passing Lena like a strike. Without losing any moment Lena ran after her and Kara, Conor and Sean followed, leaving William and Nessa behind. William was still struggling with the reins, but as soon as the horse started running, he managed to keep a decent distance to Nessa, who looked annoyed watching Kara ahead of her. She leaned her hips forward in the saddle and lifted the horse's reins up and forward towards the head abruptly while giving a firms squeeze with her legs to the sides. The horse accelerated, leaving William far behind, riding in a gentle canter since he didn't know how to cue the horse to go faster. But she didn't care about William at that time. She was obsessed with winning Kara. In the meantime, Lena had bent forward, with her hips raised from the saddle, looking like a professional jockey athlete, forcing the horse to run with its peak speed. It was incredibly strong, and her position and lightweight helped it to run faster than Ciara's horse and leave her far behind. Lena reached Laytown in a flash and waited for the others to arrive at the finish line. Ciara followed complaining about Lena having the best horse of the stables.

Nessa and Kara ran with the same speed next to each other. Their horses ran with their highest power, throwing pieces of mud behind them with their hooves, as they ran on the sand the sea waves wetted repeatedly. They would finish together, and Nessa couldn't accept that. A few meters before the finish line, Nessa cued her horse to approach Kara's and raised her leg to push the enemy off the horse. _Shit._ Kara would either let Nessa kick her and break her leg, finding out she was an alien or she would fall by the time Nessa's leg touched her and lose the race. Swallowing her pride, she fell on the wet sand, drenching her clothes as a wet wave came upon her. Nessa finished gloriously third and turned proudly to look at Lena, but her face faltered when she saw her eyes throwing fires at her. 

"We're done." She said abruptly and cued her horse to ran to Kara. Reaching her friend, she pulled the lead lines back and jerked them a bit to make the horse turn and look at her, to know that Lena wanted to climb down and shouldn't move from its position. The well-trained horse obeyed, and by the time her feet landed on the floor, she ran to Kara. Of course, she knew nothing had happened to her. Lena's purpose was mainly to check on Kara's mental health.

"Don't worry, I didn't..." Kara said, cleaning her glasses from the sand with her wet knitted sweater. 

"I know." Lena interrupted her, pulling gently away from her face the wet hair that blocked her vision.

"If I hadn't fallen she..." 

"I know, it's okay. I'm proud of you." Lena said hearteningly, and Kara felt butterflies in her stomach. Because Lena was proud of humiliating herself to keep a human being (even if she hated that specific one) safe from herself. Because someone finally recognised the effort and strength, it required to pretend she was "normal" and that someone was Lena. Her best friend and the only person that made her feel special. The person that caused her emotions she had never experienced in the past. And it wasn't only the words Lena said but the way she looked at her too. That long deep stare, making her forget about everything, getting lost in the green forests in front of her.

"HELP ME!" William's scream made both of them blink as it brought them back to reality. When Kara saw her friend blushing, she wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But when William yelled again, she involuntarily turned to his direction to make sure he didn't need her kind of help. He was stuck on the horse that wouldn't stop running in circles before the finish line. Kara said they had to help him, but she caught a glimpse of Lena's smirk before getting a straight face and nodding. She didn't understand why her friend disliked him so much. _He's such a nice guy!_

They started walking to William's direction to guide him to control the horse, but Conor showed mercy to him and suddenly appeared beside, on his own horse, catching William's reins to pull them back. William's horse stopped abruptly and neighed while Conor walked away on his horse, not even waiting for a thank you from the man. He wasn't even sure he would receive one. Kara noticed that no one liked William except Nessa. But she knew Nessa's likeness was more of a sexual attraction towards him.

"Kara, your clothes..." Lena said observing Kara that was completely soaked from top to bottom.

"It's fine. Not that I will catch a cold anyway." 

"No, it's not! Let's head back to the car. I brought some extra clothes with me, knowing that horse riding can be messy. Especially since... Well... You know how competitive I can be." 

"I do, but Lena, it's no big deal, we don't have to..."

"I insist!" Kara objected, but Lena was adamant. They mounted their horses and informed the others that they would meet them back in Bettystown. Nessa threw a death glare at them while the others agreed to enjoy their ride before heading back to meet Lena and Kara.

The weather was fine pleasant that day even though they could spot some dark clouds on the horizon, alarming an upcoming storm. The light breeze made Kara shudder under the wet clothes, but she didn't mind it. Riding with Lena in silence, next to the beach was everything she could wish for. Her dark luscious long hair fluttered in the air as her horse cantered in a light rhythm. Like feeling Kara's eyes on her, Lena turned her head, locking their eyes and gave her friend a wide bright smile while her face was illuminated by the sun's rays. Kara reciprocated the smile, and with a quick push on the horse's sides, she cued it to run faster. Lena immediately got her point, and they raced back to Bettystown. She was about to win but Kara the last time, threw laser through her eyes some meters ahead of Lena's horse, enough to scare it off. It neighed and reared, catching Lena off guard. Not being fast enough to grab the reins, she lost her balance and fell behind, closing her eyes, ready to accept her fate. She expected her back to crush on the ground, but instead, she felt two arms holding her firmly in the air. Opening her eyes slowly, Kara's annoying grin was her first sight. 

"I fucking hate you!" Lena hissed and tried to get off her arms, but Kara wouldn't let her, which made her frustration grow bigger. When she gave up on fighting, accepting there was nothing she could do, she crossed her arms and looked at her friend with the sternest gaze her face could wear. Kara's lips arched, battling with the will to burst into laughter because Lena's reaction reminded her of a small child but watching her friend wasn't amused at all, she let her down slowly. 

"Come on, you should have seen your face!" Lena gave her the silent treatment and stomped forward, pulling the horse's leading lines to guide it back to the stables. Kara followed, doing the same with her horse and gave Lena some space to calm down. They passed the horses' reins to an assistant and Lena grabbed her wallet to pay for the ride, but the woman said, Conor was strict with buying them the rides. They mentally noted to thank him later. Lena was still marching ahead, like attending a demonstration about aliens' rights and Kara's laughing mood had gone now. She wanted to calm her friend, but knowing how competitive she was, it would be a difficult task for her. Lena unlocked the car and opened the trunk on the front, and Kara's amusement returned. There was a tiny space, looking more like a pocket than a boot where Lena's clothes were carefully folded and pressed so that the trunk's hood could barely close. 

"Isn't this space supposed to fit only the lug wrench, which I don't see?" Kara asked assuming Lena had moved it somewhere else. But rechecking the car, she didn't think there was some space to fit it. And remembering Alex's words _"fast cars almost always have the engine on the back"_ she realised, Lena had removed the lug wrench to fit her clothes which made her literally bite her lips to try not to laugh.

"I didn't think we'd be so unfortunate to get a flat tire today." Lena murmured annoyed. 

"But what if we would?" 

"Do you see a spare tire somewhere?" Lena spat angrily, her hands holding her waist. Kara looked at the car again thoughtfully, which made Lena furious.

"No." 

"Then there's no point carrying a wheel brace." 

"Why do they create these cars with such small trunks?" Lena sighed, trying to keep her calm. 

"Because these cars are made to go fast. It's not like I'll take a Ferrari to go for archery in the woods!"

"Wait! You can shoot with a bow?" 

"Kara, please go to change." Lena landed the clothes abruptly to Kara's hands and pointed with her index finger her car. All her patience with her friend vanished mostly after her interrogation about her car's capacity. Actually, she wouldn't even mind answering these questions if she hadn't deprived her win earlier and used her powers in such a wickedly way. If she had let her crash on the ground, Lena would have lost it now. _Damn, I can't even punch her without hurting myself!_

She was resting her hands, intertwined under her breasts looking at the entrance of the stables to give her friend some privacy. Her leg was touching the bumper of a car, and when she felt a move, she thought Kara was already dressed and had opened the door to step out. Turning around ready to complain about the advantage of having super speed, she saw Kara still inside the passenger seat, without a top. Fortunately, only her bare shoulders were visible since she had bent forward to lace her shoes, but it was enough to make Lena blush. The crimson on her cheeks became more evident when Kara lifted her head, and their eyes met. It was only for a bit more than two seconds, but it was enough for Kara to notice the desire on Lena's eyes. _No, it can't be. This is wrong._ Then Lena turned around, standing still while mentally cursing herself for the embarrassing moment. When she heard this time the door shutting, she turned slowly to check if Kara was dressed. 

"I'm so sorry, I thought you were done." She said to Kara, who folded the wet clothes. Lena opened the trunk again to fit them in the narrow space.

"It's okay."

"Why you didn't use your speed?"

"I thought to not push it since you were mad for the laser." 

"We're even now", Lena said too embarrassed to look at her friend. Even though Kara found it adorable, she didn't mention it again for the rest of the day. After changing, they had gone to the beach for a walk to enjoy the fresh air and the view. Kara asked to take some pictures of them since she didn't have a cell phone, and Lena promptly took plenty of her friend posing or laughing. She made her laugh on purpose to capture this moment with the camera. _Damn that smile…_ When they were done, Kara recommended to take some selfies too, and Lena's breath hitched, feeling Kara lean on her and hug her from behind, resting her chin on the crook of her neck. She could even smell her perfume mixed with her characteristic natural body scent. They both smiled broadly at the camera and giggled when Kara made bunny ears behind Lena's head.

"Kara, the four-year-old child!" Lena turned her head to the left to face her friend. Even though Kara could feel Lena's breath on her cheek, didn't move an inch. Instead, she maintained the close distance and just turned her head, locking their eyes. 

"Why four exactly? Why not two?" Kara asked sarcastically. Their too close proximity made Lena's heart speed up, feeling like it would blast out of her chest but her face didn't betray her emotions. _She is just your friend, calm down._

"Because a two years old child can't do bunny ears since it can't even have friends. Before they turn to three, children can't socialise. During the preschool years, the corpus callosum begins to myelinate. Once insulated, the corpus callosum allows the preschooler to leverage her left brain more quickly and efficiently. Consequently, it enables a preschooler to connect another child's words with the emotional nuances behind those words; thereby increasing her capacity for empathy. As a result, the preschooler discovers the joy of friendship." Kara hadn't the slightest idea about what Lena was talking. She just stood there silent, admiring the passionate scientific explain she gave for just a simple question. The way her eyes would look away for a second to concentrate and share the information her brilliant brain would recall. When she paused, Kara kept looking at her astounded. Lena's facial expression changed from expectant to worried as the time passed and wasn't getting any response from her friend.

"You're so amazing!" Kara let loose out of sudden and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Lena was so bewildered that her lips parted and her body froze still. Kara pulled slowly back, and when her eyes met her friend's, she felt an electrifying, spine-tingling sensation running that almost made her gasp. Lena was in the same condition, her breathing altered and her heart beat so fast that was the only sound able to hear. She was sure Kara could listen to it too but didn't know that her friend was too busy listening to her own heartbeat either. And then she felt like having a stroke when Kara's eyes fell on her lips. Her legs felt like jelly. If Kara wasn't holding her so tight, she was sure it would be impossible to stand on the ground. Lena unconsciously wetted her lips with her tongue, and Kara followed the movement with her eyes. Without realising it, they both leaned forward, their lips only a few centimetres before meeting. But the distant gallops made them both jump on their feet and move away immediately. They both looked at each other with similarly wide eyes. 

"I..I ne… I should… I will get the water. I mean go get some water." Kara stuttered and left panicked, leaving a puzzled Lena behind. Lena's friends approached her while William rode with Conor to the stables, to teach him to stop the horse without rearing. Lena immediately put her mask on and gave them a broad smile as they climbed down and walked with her to the centre. Kara bought a bottle of water from the bar and took long sips but stopped when she heard William approaching. She felt a lump on her throat that even with gallons of water, it wouldn't go away. Her guilt was drowning her. Turning around, she put a fake wide grin on her lips. He looked excited rather than annoyed after his experience with horses.

"I made it! I learned to ride a horse!" He exclaimed enthusiastically and walked to Kara to pull her in a firm hug. She tangled her arms around him, and with her head pressed against his chest, she felt her tears run uncontrollably. His coat was too thick to feel the moisture her tears created, but when she pulled back to look at him, his facial expression immediately faltered. "Kara, what is it? Did I do something?" His eyebrows furrowed worriedly.

"No, no, I'm just moved by your accomplishment. Come here." She pulled him in a hug like before. This time she let herself break down into his arms, completely ruining his coat. He rubbed her back soothingly and hearing her sobs only made him more confused, but he didn't say anything more. When Kara had calmed down, they went to find the others. She fixed her glasses and took a deep breath, ready to face her friend again. Nessa and Ciara were sitting on a bench while Lena and Sean stood right in front of them, revoking their memories from when they used to go for horseback riding altogether. Lena was calm, but when she noticed Kara's presence, she tensed up, and her face became serious again. William mingled, in their conversation, expressing his excitement about learning to cue a horse. Only Lena and Kara remained silent, looking anywhere else possible but each other. After a while, they all fell silent, and Conor appeared just in time to decide to go for lunch. They started walking to the exit of the centre, Kara staying purposely behind with William.

"How did you come here?" She was hoping he had rent a car or would call a taxi so she could avoid getting in the car alone with Lena and not moving suspicions to her friends at the same time. _It is just a polite gesture._

"Nessa was very kind and offered to pick me up", William said innocently, trying not to smile while thinking the multiple stops they had to take until they come here. _That woman is something else._ He thought. Kara was taken aback, not expecting that Nessa would be that desperate to draw Lena's attention. Of course, she had suspicions that her rival had gotten her eyes on him because of sexual attraction rather than making Lena jealous, but she couldn't believe Nessa had thrown herself on William and he had accepted it. Kara thought he was too nice to do something like that. Had Alex been there, she would have scolded her sister for being too blind and would remind her the heartbreak Mon-El caused her because of her innocence. But Kara was convinced William was different. Zooming back to reality, she decided there was no way she would enter that snake's car. 

"How thoughtful of her!" Kara responded with a fake sweet tone. Then he asked her if she wanted to come with them, but she denied with the excuse that she came with Lena and didn't want to leave her alone, while inwardly, she begged to be away from her now. Not having another option, since she wasn't comfortable enough with Lena's other friends, to ask them to give her a ride, she followed Lena on her car. Still not glancing each other, they entered the car quietly. The entire ride was insufferably uncomfortable as the silence stifled both of them. Thankfully it was concise. Lena parked the vehicle behind Sean's, out of the small pub they would have lunch at. As soon as she pulled the handbrake, Kara stormed out of the car and walked to William, who had just exited Nessa's car, like he was a lifeline. 

They occupied the largest table there was in the pub, with Lena sitting as far as possible away from Kara, who sat next to William had their hands intertwined. Nessa beside her leaned to whisper something to her ear in a seductive way as always, which made Lena laugh loudly. Kara's grip on William's hand tightened when she caught a glimpse of the incident. He turned to face her with a worried face which changed to pure happiness when she leaned to kiss him on the cheek. Lena eyed them with a clenched jaw that Kara didn't notice because her attention was on the decoration of the place. It was a warm and rustic place, with two fireplaces on each corner, opposite of the big bar and the wooden door without knob, that someone had to push to open it. Kara supposed it led to the kitchen. Sometimes she could hear the crackle of the burning woods on the fireplaces. A red carpet rested on the wooden floor, where three pool tables were deposited on it. There were a few groups of people sitting on other tables, plainly dressed, making them stand out like a sore thumb. Kara assumed they were locals and visited the pub regularly enough to feel comfortable just in plaids and oversized jeans. Not that she minded this style but living in a big city for years, her eyes weren't trained anymore to watching people simply dressed stepping out of their houses, especially in social gathering places. The two waiters were very polite and would immediately respond to the nods and waves at them. Checking the menu, Kara saw an entire page of Irish food she had no idea what she should expect if she ordered one of those dishes. So she chose to order fish and chips that was certain she would devour. There was no way she would ask Lena and was too shy to ask anyone else, even though Ciara beside her was very friendly and talk to her regularly to make Kara feel comfortable. Lena and the others ordered some black stuff to drink, and Kara realised it was just Guinness when the waiter came back with the beer glasses. Only William ordered wine, while Kara had just water since she had lied to him about her alcohol intolerance.

"Karaaaa how is sharing a house with this sulky face going?" Sean asked out of sudden pointing to Lena, who had a neutral even bothered expression on her face. When their eyes met, she immediately lowered her gaze to her beer, of which she had a sip.

"Oh, Lena is fine", Kara said, smiling politely and immediately regretted it because it sounded more of a terrible than a fine. Which everyone seemed to notice, so she tried to fix it: "I mean it's not something new to me. We regularly have sleepovers when she's not working the following day." This time almost everyone's jaw dropped except William's had zoomed out while eyeing Nessa's cleavage. 

"You mean, involuntary? Because she's too drunk to drive?" Ciara asked next to Kara. Lena's face had lowered as she played with the bandage that covered her wound.

"No, I mean we have movie nights and then sleep in the couch, cud…" 

"That's enough." Lena snapped, cutting Kara off. Everyone's head turned to her, and even William focused back on the conversation. "No one needs to know what we do in private, darling", Lena said suggestively making Kara almost choke in her saliva. She could feel Nessa's anger beside her but the only reason she didn't cut her off after everything she did, was to honour the friendship they used to have.

"Oh, you goody-two-shoes!" Sean addressed to Kara playfully, but she couldn't find the humour in the entire situation. Neither could answer to Sean. All she could do was offer a fake smile and wish inwardly there was some way to disappear from this world. _Why is she doing this to me?_

"Kara, I'm sorry if I am a busybody, but from the very little I've known you, I got the impression you're not interested in women, are you?" Conor asked carefully, and even though Kara should disapprove his nosy question, his manners were too polite to offend him.

"Yes, you thought well, I'm straight." She said confidently, catching a glimpse with the corner of her eye an insolent smile on Lena's lips. Upon her aggravation, feeling her friend's eyes burning on her, she turned to William and stroking his hair, she pressed another kiss on his cheek, this one lasting longer and looking more intimate than the one before. When she turned to look at her, Lena was talking about something to Nessa, which made Kara unsure whether she had watched the kiss. Lena had witnessed everything, but instead of giving Kara the pleasure, she turned her focus on Nessa and found something to talk to her about. 

The waiters served their food, and they ate in silence until they decided to find out more about William, asking him questions about his job and his life. Lena made sure to listen attentively all his answers one by one, searching for a flaw. But she found none. His answers were all perfect, almost the same he answered during the game night at Kara's place. Like he had learned them by heart. _Now, you're being a paranoid Luthor._

 _"_ William, you hit the jackpot, meeting your mot in Dublin", Sean said while chopping his steak.

"He means girlfriend", Ciara added quickly.

"No, William and I… We're not… He's not my boyfriend." Kara said before William could answer.

"We just started dating." He added.

"Oh, you haven't ridden his Mickey yet. I see." Sean addressed to Kara, who lowered her face on her food, to hide the red cheeks on her face. William, on the other hand, eyed quickly Nessa who winked at him and arched her lips cunningly.

"You're such a langer!" Ciara growled, slapping Sean's shoulder. Lena dropped her fork and sat up in her chair, crossing her legs, trying to keep her composure and not punch Sean's face right in front of everyone. She wore the expressionless look on her face that would make Lillian proud. They kept eating, talking about various matters that Lena wasn't interested at all. Neither was interested in her food. After Sean's pervert comments, she had lost her appetite along with some significant levels of stored patience. Now everything bothered her, including the way Nessa would try to find an excuse to touch her. She felt like stabbing her with the fork every time she touched her hand to draw her attention and talk to her. Then Sean asked Lena:

"Is your gaff still at Donnybrook?"

"No, I sold that apartment. My house is currently in Capital Dock."

"Bollocks! He exclaimed loudly.

"I need another jar", Ciara said feeling dizzy after Lena's statement. Kara couldn't understand why they acted like that. She thought Lena had made clear her financial state. Even if someone didn't know her last name, they could easily assume her financial condition was much better than the average person's.

"You mean Capital Dock, as the most wanted and expensive building in Dublin?" Conor asked as startled as the others.

"Yes", Lena answered simply, like it wasn't a big deal. Because it wasn't to her.

"Oh, mon, Dieu!" Sean said and took a generous gulp of his beer. William's look was full of jealousy and hatred towards Lena, which wasn't left unnoticed by her. The pleasure she got from his envy was beyond her imagination. First and foremost, because her gut was right about him, and now he couldn't cover his real emotions towards her. And secondly, because she could make him feel powerless and small. Even if she enjoyed talking about her penthouse while watching William's face, she brushed the subject off, offering the least possible information about her new residency and avoiding mentioning Lex. Her friends knew that the old apartment was a gift to her from Lex, but surprisingly they avoided asking questions about him or mentioning him at all. Lena suspected the news about him had reached Dublin too. 

After finishing their lunch, Sean and Conor went to play pool, and soon Lena and Nessa joined them. Ciara was the only one who had never played again, and she decided to stay with Kara and William on the table. They split into teams, while Ciara asked Kara more about her life in National City. William was bored to death. Some times he would get a glimpse of Nessa's ass when she bent to aim with her cue stick the ball but would turn his attention back to the boring girls' conversation. The least he wanted was Kara to ask the reason of his boner if she noticed. Even if he thought she was too much of a prude for something like that, he had to be careful. The cheering from the pool table drew their attention, cutting off their conversation about Kara's ex-boss, Cat Grant. Conor and Sean were celebrating their win while Lena had a frown and Nessa tried to cheer her up by touching her, on her face, on her hair, everywhere she could lay her hands on. 

"I'm going to play. You coming?" William asked and offered his hand to Kara while standing up. Kara thought about it carefully because of the last time she played pool with him. 

"No, I'll stay here to keep Ciara company."

"Oh no, no, you can go play, I will join you guys. Even though I have no idea to play, I always wanted to learn." Ciara said excitedly and walked to the pool tables, and William and Kara followed. When Lena noticed Kara's presence, she tensed up immediately and ordered another beer. Even though Kara hadn't counted how many beers her friend had, she was sure from the glow in her eyes, she wouldn't be able to drive later. 

"I want to play against Lena." William as soon as he walked beside the table Nessa and Lena stood. He observed carefully the cues hanged on the stick holder, and after choosing one, he applied chalk to the tip. Lena's eyebrow raised and looked at him upside to down, like sizing him up.

"Grand!" She replied with a smirk on her lips. Kara couldn't help but notice how she chose words and accent had changed during these days, and she loved every bit of it.

"What about me? I won't sit there and watch you two play. I want to have fun too!" Nessa said suggestively glancing both of them with a cunning smile. Lena rolled her eyes, but William found her provocation, endearing. 

"Okay, let's split to teams then. I go with Kara, you go with Nessa." He said to Lena, and she just nodded. Even though he wanted to face her alone, he couldn't say no to Nessa, mostly when she used all her charm to force him to accept.

Kara glanced at the cues, not having an idea which one she should choose, so she went for the longer. But before she could pull it from the caddy, Lena's hand landed upon her grip, stopping her and forcing her to put it back. Kara felt shivers on her skin, especially when she turned to see how close Lena was standing to her. 

"You choose the one with the best tip. The one you chose had a crack on the ferrule." She said eyeing the sticks, and when she spotted one that pleased her, she pulled it and passed it to her friend. Before Kara could thank her, Lena was already heading back to the tables, raising her cue forward to check whether it was straight. Then she flipped a coin with William, and he won the break shot. 

"Kara, it's all yours." He said, placing the white ball on the table for Kara.

"No, you shoot." She answered, afraid that if she put too much power, the ball would jump and open a hole on the wooden wall.

"Are you kidding me? You have the best break shot I've ever seen in my life!" He pushed and Lena felt her friend's uneasiness.

"Too scared to take the first shot?" Lena provoked, hoping it would be enough to enrage him, but her assumptions were wrong. He maintained his composure perfectly and brushed it off like she hadn't just challenged him.

"On our first day with Kara, we went to Al's Dive Bar, and she literally humiliated me. It was the first time she played, and she won me with only the break shot. I mean, who can do that?!" He stated enthusiastically, but Lena could see behind his mask that he was faking his excitement. Because of his rapid blinking and the smile that didn't reach his eyes, couldn't comply with the intense movement of his hands while trying to speak with passion about Kara's achievement. Even when he raised his thick eyebrows and his forehead creased, Lena could see through him. Because Lillian had made her a perfect liar and as an ideal liar, she could detect other liars too.

"Then what are you afraid of? Show us, Kara!" Nessa said sarcastically, which made Kara furious enough to blow her cover. With one little push, Nessa would float in space, but she knew better, it was essential to keep her composure and try to perform a decent shot. But as she was afraid of her power, she didn't aim correctly, ending up to hit the cueball, making it to backspin and fall immediately in a hole without touching the balls. Nessa burst into a peal of loud laughter without the feeling the slightest need to hold it, to show some politeness to Kara's face. William, for a second, looked irritated with Kara because he had to let Lena have the first shot. But then he sighed and said it was okay. Lena shot with enough strength to send some balls into the holes allowing her to prolong her turn. After sending a solid colour ball in the puncture, she kept playing until only two solid balls had left to chase the black. William tried to keep up, but one mistake made him lose his turn and only score two striped balls. Nessa wasn't as half good as him, especially Lena. But she didn't seem to care, since everything was a game for seduction to her. From the way she bent on the table and flexed her ass, to making a circle, uniting her index finger and her thumb to put the cue stick between. Kara wasn't an expert but was confident that this wasn't a proper way to hold the cue, even if there were plenty of them. When it was her turn again, she took a deep breath, trying to avoid panicking. _Come on, one more wrong shot and let them think you're useless, who cares._ She bent forward, backing her cue above her thumb and closed the one eye to aim but her body stilled when she felt someone's weight pressing against her. The expensive sweet perfume entered her nostrils. Recognising the person immediately behind her, her heart accelerated in a pace so rapid that Kara was sure if she was a human she would definitely get a heart attack. 

"Imagine a line from the edge of the cueball to the edge of the object ball", Lena spoke softly, almost in a whisper, right beside Kara's ear, making the hairs stand and goosebumps form. Lena had literally bent over Kara, almost embracing her. 

"Lena don't…" Nessa said something but Kara didn't listen at all because Lena's lips moved closer to her ear almost touching it.

"Fuck everyone. Focus on my words." Lena whispered, and Kara instantly closed her eyes, focusing on her friend beside her. And it worked, everyone else didn't exist around them. She felt like they were the only people in the room. "Good. Now you are going to master this thin cut shot okay?" Kara was afraid if she talked, her voice would betray her, coming out like a shriek. So she just nodded and caught a glimpse with the corner of her eye, a smiling Lena. "The cueball must hit the object ball in a way that sends it directly to the hole. If you hit it right there," Lena said putting her hand on Kara's, the one that held the cue, and pushed a bit to force her to turn her aim, "the cueball will send it directly to the hole, but the aim is not your problem, is it?" Kara nodded again this time negatively, and Lena inched even more closer, almost letting her entire bodyweight rest on Kara, and held the cue with her, intertwining their fingers. "Close your eyes." She whispered again, and Kara followed her order promptly. "Good. Now imagine you're holding a spear and on the other side it's me. The spear's edge is on an apple, and the apple is pressed against my chest. If you push the spear moderately, you will stab the apple, if you push too much, you will stab me." Kara created a picture in her mind of Lena's description, but unsure whether it would help. "Are you ready?" They pulled the cue together, back slowly. "Hold your aim firmly." Kara arched her thumb even more to stabilise the stick. "Shoot", Lena whispered, and with her guidance, Kara pushed forward the cue, hearing the clack as the balls hit one another. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw the cueball rolling and the stripped ball falling in the hole. "You made it." Lena kissed Kara's cheek the same way her friend had done back on the beach, leaving Kara speechless, and stepped away from her. She circled the table to stand beside Nessa, enjoying in the meanwhile, Kara's stunning face expression.

"That's not fair!" Nessa complained.

"Don't worry, they're not going to win anyway." Lena pretended to not register Nessa's real source of annoyance. William's face was neutral and even pale. When Kara lifted her body and turned to William to celebrate her success, he immediately put a fake smile on his face that Lena saw. He was all she watched because something on him didn't sit well. 

The rest of the games they played were even more challenging to Lena since she had to face all by herself, not only William but Kara too. Her friend had improved drastically after her help. 

"Lena, can you show me how to hit the ball?", Nessa whined as she bent down and turned her eyes to Lena.

"I've shown you multiple times in the past, but you don't learn."

"Just one more." She pleaded her with a pout on her face. Lena surrendered and approached to help her. She didn't stand as close as she did with Kara and when Nessa would move closer, Lena would take a step back. Her patience with that woman was melting away. 

After some games, Ciara, Sean and Conor asked them to leave because they were tired and the others complained about having to end their game in half. They decided to wait for them and be their last game. Kara and William were winning, but Lena did her best to cover the difference. Nessa's uselessness didn't help. She preferred Nessa didn't play at all, since she was the reason they were behind on the score. _Okay, it's maybe Kara's fault too._ Because every time she would aim to shoot and lifted her eyes from the target, to check the woman standing opposite of her, she would lose her concentration and miss the object ball. And she couldn't help it since Kara's gaze was more profound than ever. At first, Lena thought she did it on purpose to lose, but then she got the same look every time their eyes met. When it was William's turn, or Nessa's, or even Kara's too. Lena and Nessa lost the game, and William exhilarated, hugging Kara tightly. Ciara and Sean teased Lena for failing, expecting to receive some irritated glance or scold, but she couldn't care any less about the game. Her mind was busy trying to decipher Kara's look. After parting out of the pub, Kara sat on the driver's seat after Lena protesting that she was able to drive. But in the end, she was forced to accept it. The drive was quiet until they entered the city. The honks of the other cars filled the silence between them. Unlikely the morning, their silence wasn't uncomfortable this time. They were stuck for a while on the highway. The sky was dark as the sun had set, and a few big droplets suddenly crashed on the windows. Almost immediately, heavy rain followed, making the traffic jam even worse.

"Oh Rao, we will never leave this route." Kara sighed angrily. Lena zoomed in the map on the GPS.

"There is a shortcut, two exits from now. Head to the right slowly if you can." Kara followed Lena's orders, and it took them fifteen minutes to reach that exit. But when they left the highway, finally the traffic was lower. After a while, they arrived at the building, parked the car in the garage and entered the elevator. 

"I'm so tired", Lena complained, letting her back, rest on the elevator's walls. The doors opened, and they walked to the door. 

"Me too, I close an eye the entire night", Kara said while massaging the back of her neck with her fingers. Lena unlocked and immediately walked to the couch and let her body crash on it.

"How come?" Kara sat next to Lena, with the side of their head touching.

"I was worried about you." Lena turned abruptly to face her with a curious look on her face.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I even thought of getting out to search for you, but I wasn't sure it was appropriate after…" 

"After?" Lena played the fool card.

"Never mind", Kara said and moved to stand up and walk away, but a firm hand on her thigh prevented her from doing so. She eyed the hand almost shuddering and even though Lena noticed, she didn't take it away. Not even when Kara relaxed on her seat. Instead, she started scratching the fabric of Kara's jeans softly, making the skin underneath erect.

"Tell me." Kara was utterly hooked under her spell. Because it was unable for her to resist in those big green eyes pleading her, while long and slender fingers drawing patterns on her thigh. She was sure now, alcohol made Lena more bold and sexual. 

"I thought you wanted to spend some time alone after our… Our dance."

"Why would I?" Lena furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head slightly on the side.

"Because you left abruptly and never returned." Even drunk, Lena could see the hurt on the way Kara's eyes lowered immediately after externalising her thoughts. Without thinking about it, she reached for Kara's cheek and forced her to look at her.

"I'm so sorry, Kara." That deep gaze returned on Kara's face, but this time she was the one trying to decipher Lena's thoughts.

"It's okay." She said and kept staring at Lena's eyes. Their faces were close enough for adrenaline to pump in her blood. They looked at each other without saying anything, only admiring each other's features.

"Did you like it?" Lena asked out of sudden forbidding the situation to turn uncomfortable. Kara looked taken aback by her question, but Lena didn't back off. The alcohol in her blood made her ask questions she knew there was no chance she could ask sober. Kara hesitated at first and then answered shyly:

"I did." And the next moment, she felt hot lips crashing on her mouth softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy October! I'm sorry for updating later than usual but during this time I had to study for my Latin exams, and take part in an art contest at the same time. My uni starts the upcoming week but I'll do my best to update the soonest I can. Thank you, everyone, for reading my story! It's the first one I write and never expected so many people to read it. I'm more than glad to read your opinion, whether it's positive or negative. Stay safe!
> 
> P.S Idk how many of you have watched the 100 and I don’t want to spoil you, BUT OMG LEXA YESTERDAY 😭


	11. Adlevanti

"Happy is the man who has broken the chains which hurt the mind, and has given up worrying once and for all." Ovid's words in Metamorphoses came into her mind while trying to focus on her work. _Such a wise man._ She had spent the entire day in her office, drinking only plenty of cups of coffee her secretary brought to her. Even if Jess was always professional and never intervened or asked about Lena's personal life, the worry on her face was evident since Lena had eaten nothing the entire day. Whenever she would suggest to bring her some food, Lena would order black coffee instead. After some point, the poor woman gave up and stopped asking. It was past afternoon, and the sun had already set. Lena was checking some spreadsheets under the dim light of her reading lamp on her desk. But making one mistake after another, changing the wrong cells or filling them with incorrect information, she hit her fist on the table as rage conquered her soul. _I won't waste all these year_ _s of reading books about self-control for her! Business goes first!_ She tried to focus back on her work, but her mind refused to concentrate on the numbers she merely needed to double-check before sending them to the financial department. When she heard a knock on the door, she sighed frustrated and pushed her weight back on her chair. Before opening her mouth to invite the person knocking in, the doors shut open and a fuming Alex burst inside, pushing Jess who tried to stop her out of her way. Lena threw her head on her palm and massaged her temple with her fingers. _Here we go again._

"Miss Luthor, I'm so sorry, I tried to stop her, but she's so strong! I'll call the security right now!"

"No, don't, it's fine," Lena said and moved her hand dismissively. Jess just nodded, giving her boss a sympathetic smile and left the office, closing the door behind her.

"Luthor! Where's my sister?" Alex hissed and approached the office slowly, like a feline stalking the prey before attacking.

"I'm hiding her under my desk. Kara, darling, come out." Lena leaned under her desk theatrically, imitating calling a dog, but when she sat back on her chair again, her face was blank giving the woman in front of her, the sternest look she could wear. Alex's lips were pressed in a thin line and reaching the desk, her fists bumped vigorously on the white solid surface, causing a tremor to the objects on it.

"Cut the bullshit and tell me where Kara is!"

"Don't you have a chip of something that can track her?"

"We do, and it says she's in Dublin! And you're here! And she doesn't answer her comm."

"Oh, she's probably too busy with her boyfriend," Lena said indifferently and went back to checking the spreadsheets, but Alex pushed the laptop's screen violently closed. "Hey, that's enough!" Lena barked, now all her temper vanished and replaced with rage. She tried to check if the screen was broken, but Alex's firm hand on it blocked her from doing so. Surrendered, Lena leaned back again on her chair, battling internally to contain herself and avoid calling the security to kick the woman out. Even though she was sure, Alex could take them down.

"Look Luthor; I'm not here to waste my time playing games. You either tell me what did you do to my sister, or..."

"I just told you she stayed in Dublin with William, her boyfriend!" Lena snapped loudly, her grip clenching around the chair's arms.

"SHE WHAT?" Alex yelled, loudly enough for the entire personnel in the building to listen to her.

"Yeah, and William is cheating on her," Lena stated simply like talking about the weather.

"HE WHAT?" A mix of anger and surprise now flushed her.

"Yes, with my ex-friend with benefits, not that this is any of your concern. They even got caught fucking in a night club's toilet while Kara and I were also there."

"AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING TO HER?" She screamed and bumped loudly with fury her fists on the desk, this time creating a quiver strong enough to make the expensive porcelain vase with gardenias on her desk, crash on the ground and shutter in pieces. Jess opened the door immediately, looking worriedly at her boss but Lena waved at her to show everything was fine and dismiss her. But Lena was beyond than fine. Her cheeks were in crimson as well, and her indignation was written all over her face. She stood up abruptly from her chair and went to serve herself a glass of cold water in an attempt to calm the storm in her mind.

"I was waiting for the right moment because it's not something you can just simply throw at someone, but that time never came."

"AND YOU LET HER STAY WITH HIM IN DUBLIN?"

"WE HAD A FIGHT, OKAY?" Lena yelled too now, immediately regretting it for losing her temper and took a sip of the cold water closing her eyes.

"What did you do, Luthor, this time?"

"Okay, this is enough. You came here to accuse me of abducting your sister, but now that you know the truth you can leave. I have nothing else to discuss with a woman who throws accuses at someone without having the slightest idea about ANYTHING." Her voice raised in the last word, and she took a deep breath, walking back to her chair. Her fists clenched while inwardly repeated the mantra she had created for moments like these.

"Then explain to me. I'll sit right here calmly and listen to you." Alex said with a quiet voice, like the calm before the storm. Lena narrowed her eyes at her and realising that the woman had no intentions to leave until she learned everything. She started speaking.

"We fought for something personal that is nothing of your concern. It's between her and me. On Friday night, she went on a date with William, and I went for drinks with that friend I mentioned before. Out of sudden, I saw Kara and William coming toward us to greet us. They sat with us since their dinner was over hours ago and after some time I went to the dance floor with Kara." Alex was sitting silently on the chair. She opened her mouth probably to ask something but having second thoughts, she shut it again and kept listening. "After that, I went to the restroom to find a huge queue of people waiting annoyed and some bouncers heading to the door to break it down. I confessed with my own eyes William and Nessa, my friend, in a very intimate moment. The club's reputation is huge, and it would be all over the news, but I asked my technicians to put down everything from the internet and silence the incident."

"Why the hell did you cover them?"

"Because Nessa would go in jail and she was addicted to drugs in the past. Going to jail would be her destruction."

"And because of that bitch, you lied to my sister?" Alex growled now, losing her patience.

"You don't know what it's like driving your friend to the hospital because they got an overdose. She would have died in my hands if we had arrived one minute later." Kara's sister fell silent this time, mentally battling about whether to believe Lena or not.

"And how did she end up staying with that dickhead in Dublin?"

"As I mentioned before, we had a fight, and William asked her to stay a couple of days more with him, and she accepted."

"And you didn't think to tell her before leaving her alone?" Alex asked calmly, but her anger was evident. She did her best to hold her urges and not jump down Lena's throat.

"I tried, but she didn't let me speak to her."

"What did you do?"

"Of course, I'm always the big bad wolf."

"No, you're the big bad Luthor."

"Okay, that's enough, get out of my office!" Lena hissed, pointing the exit door with her finger.

"Oh, trust me. I don't enjoy myself being here either. How William came to Dublin the first place?"

"He said Andrea put him to write an article..."

"About Liam Cunningham." Lena's forehead creased as her eyebrows arched in surprise.

"You know?"

"Yeah, I talked to Kara before her date night with him on Friday. Do you actually believe that he was there for an article?"

"Well, it's a mighty coincidence, isn't it?" She said suggestively, and Alex narrowed her eyes. Lena had been thinking how William could have known they would be there and nothing came to her mind. There was no reason he could have known except reading Dublin's newspaper, which would be odd and wouldn't justify his arrival the same day of publication. She had tried to convince herself it was just a coincidence, but her gut wouldn't let her mind rest with that excuse. After everything happened with Kara, she didn't have time to think about William.

"For now, I'll try to talk to Kara. Maybe J'onn could fly there to put some reason in her head." People needed Supergirl. Even if J'onn replaced her during the time she was gone, he still couldn't manage to eliminate all the threats by himself. And even though he had Alex with him, she wasn't the same efficient as before. Because during the days of working for DEO, she had an entire team backing her up.

"And I'll head to CatCo to speak to Andrea about this infamous article in Dublin." Alex was already on her feet, walking away but stopped and turned to Lena again.

"Haven't you learned? Cat Grant is the owner again."

"What? How?"

"After Obsidian's failure, CatCo's stocks dropped as well, but it got worse when suddenly in a day, all shareholders started selling their stocks. Then an anonymous investor appeared and offered to pay much more than its worth and Andrea had no option. It was either selling it for 20 million or bankrupting and losing everything."

"Twenty million only? For real? I bought it for 750 million and sold it to Andrea for 1.3 billion dollars."

"Apparently Cat's plan to take it back and in an excruciatingly low price worked." Lena couldn't believe in her ears. That woman had achieved something she couldn't. Cat was ruthless while Lena respected Andrea's decision and let her keep CatCo without declaring a war. And she would have won for sure, but not with such a brutal way. Even if she was Lena Luthor and her abilities were beyond imagination, convincing everyone to sell wouldn't be possible. That was an achievement only Cat Grant could attain. Because she had built it from the ground and most of the shareholders were loyal to her. They had been making Lena's life a living hell for two years on the boardroom just because she wasn't Cat Grant. And now after all these years, Cat was the only one shareholder. "This woman is something else." Alex shrugged and left the office, leaving Lena behind, sinking in her thoughts.

_ Saturday night _

_Kara's body stilled as she felt hot lips crash softly on hers, but Lena didn't back off. She gave her time to decide whether she would back off or reciprocate. And Kara's vanishing resistance made her close the eyes and kiss her friend back. The kiss was a bit sloppy at first, and Kara could taste the alcohol. It wasn't a bad kiss, but Kara thought they could do better, so in leaps and bounds, using her super speed, one of her legs moved up and got on the other side of Lena's hips, straddling her. Lena let a stifled moan escape her mouth, at the sudden friction of their private parts. She tilted her head slightly, deepening the kiss and Kara's fingers gripped her skin and hair more intensely, suggesting she liked it._

_They kissed at a slow pace, but soon enough it switched from playful and sensual to desperate and needy. Lena was struggling to remain in control, but Kara had bent fully on her, with her body dangerously close to Lena's, making her feel utterly powerless as she tried to devour her lips. But Lena's dominant hands held Kara's waist firmly and dipped under the smooth fabric of her sweater, causing goosebumps to her skin. Every little touch, every breath, every movement Kara did, wasn't unnoticed by Lena and it scared her. She had been dreaming of this moment for years, and now that it was happening, her mind wouldn't stop worrying about Kara's emotions at that moment._

_Lena's delicate fingers moved upper to Kara's bra only to test how far she would go. She expected to be stopped by her friend, but instead, Kara pulled her closer. They kissed with a passion Lena had never experienced before. But she immediately stopped, knowing something was wrong. This wasn't normal behaviour for Kara and neither she could be that selfish and take advantage of the mess going on in her friend's mind. Gently, Lena tried to pull back, but Kara wasn't even hearing her at this point._

_"Kara, slow down." She panted, breaking free from the kiss and opened her eyes to see blush overspreading Kara's face. Her eyes widened as the realisation started to kick in. Her rosy and swollen lips parted and covered them with her palm while shock and embarrassment ran through her veins. She immediately jumped up from her friend's thighs. Lena raised her arms to catch her, but she was faster._

_"Darling, it's okay," Lena said in a soft tone, but Kara was already on her wait to the exit. She jogged to catch up with her and reached for her arm, which she grabbed, forcing Kara to stop and turn to face her. "Kara, it's fine! I felt like you the first time I kissed the girl I liked. I wasn't even sure I liked girls back then and..."_

_"I don't like girls," Kara said abruptly, and Lena raised her eyebrows, in disbelief. But her face eased soon, showing an understanding of her reaction._

_"It didn't seem like that a few minutes before."_

_"No, that was... that was a mistake. I don't like my friends like that, and I like William." Kara turned the knob of the door, making Lena's exasperation increase. Having enough of this denial, she felt like death warmed up of Kara using her whenever she wanted. Even if Lena didn't mind back then, now she was aggravated in the thought of Kara using her to write articles and be noticed as a journalist during the first steps of her career, when they started getting to know each other. Because Lena was a human, after all, she had many flaws, and one of them was remembering every little wrong people did her, after getting hurt by them._

_"That's bollocks, and you know it. But if that's the lie you want to feed yourself, then fine by me. See if I care. I'm done with your mood swings. I'm done being the villain when I disagree with your opinion but when you need me, suddenly remembering we're best friends." Lena snapped, stopping Kara dead on her tracks. Her face was solid this time, and it reminded Lena how stupid she was for not recognising the similarity of Supergirl and her friend. Their expressions right now were precisely the same. "That's because they're the same person, you eejit!" She thought._

_"I made one mistake, one mistake that was only ever meant to protect you and in return, all you did was hurt me in every way imaginable." Kara shook her head to express the disappointment she felt._

_"I'm not even referring to..." But before Lena could finish her sentence, Kara had disappeared in a blink of an eye. Not even caring about being noticed by someone, she passed from the reception, causing papers to flutter by the air and during a few minutes, she was standing in front of William's hotel room. Knocking twice, she waited a few seconds, and when he opened, his thick brows wrinkled in confusion._

_"Kara? What are you do..." But she closed the distance between them, taking him by surprise and almost losing his balance because of her fury. Bumping into the wall behind him, Kara's hands tightened around his muscled body and kissed him desperately, as her life depended on his lips. Delighted with the sudden surprise, he pushed the door closed and guided Kara to the bed._

Present

Everything was spinning, and the persistent doorbell only made her confusion worse. Bumping from wall to wall to the infinite corridors of her mansion, she finally reached the door. Not even caring to make herself presentable, not that it was possible, she turned the knob, mentally hissing whoever dared to disturb her. It wasn't considered an inappropriate time for the world, but for her, it was the worst timing in the world. Opening the door, she came across with a neutral formal face and a raised chin, but all this look immediately changed when their eyes met.

"What are you doing here?"

"I... I came to check up on you." Lena stuttered to her intense surprise of witnessing her ex-friend in this state.

"Cut the bullshit, Luthor. You came here to rub it on my face that I should have sold you back the CatCo." Andrea answered grumpily and walked back in the house, leaving Lena in the opened the door to enter. Walking to the corridor again, with her hand brushing the wall to maintain her balance, Lena followed the woman carefully, uncertain whether she would attack her or not. Even when they had some crazy nights out, returning after the dawn, wholly wasted, Lena hadn't seen Andrea in such state. Her hair was tangled, full of knots and the smell of the alcohol mixed with the body odour, of having spent a couple of days in her father's Versace robe, was unbearing. She sauntered back to her bottle of vodka, that was placed on the coffee table, and without bothering to get a glass, she threw herself back on the couch and took a sip directly from it.

"Only yesterday I returned to the city, and a few time, earlier I learned about CatCo. I know we haven't been on good terms all these years, but I want you to know that I am truly sorry and if you need my support I'll be here for you." Lena said carefully, standing under the beam of the entrance to the living room.

"Save your fake compassion and tell me, why are you here? Why are you wasting my time? I can do that by myself, you know." She felt sorry for the woman before her, and something on her face probably betrayed her emotions because Andrea now looked even more aggravated.

"I told you, I'm here for you."

"Liar." She drank again and became more ferocious. Lena saw by her tilting of the bottle that there was no great quantity left in it. She distinctly understood that Andrea was working herself up with its contents to bear her.

"Okay, fine I came here to ask you if you sent William to Dublin, to write an article about some Irish actor." Even though it wasn't entirely accurate and she cared about Andrea, her ex-friend didn't seem to accept it and decided not to push her any further.

"William who?" Andrea muttered, hardly making any sense.

"William Dey."

"No." She said laconically, and Lena's heart sped up immediately.

"Are you didn't send him there?"

"No! Now get the hell of out my face!" Andrea exclaimed angrily. It took Lena a while to react, her mind processing everything.

"Before I go, I want you to know, I meant everything I said before."

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Andrea, this time yelled and threw the empty now bottle to Lena who took a step back in the corridor just on time. The bottle crashed right in front of her feet and scattered in pieces. "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU ALL THESE YEARS THAT I NEEDED YOU? LEAVE!" She screamed, and Lena walked quickly to the exit, feeling sadness and regret. For once again, her oversensitivity had forced her to ruin their friendship before even listening to Andrea's excuse. Maybe if she were there for her, things would have been different now. But Lena was well aware that her defences were too high to allow such betrayal, even if there was the most persuasive motive behind. Pushing the door opened, she came across with Robert's anxious look.

"Miss Luthor, the paparazzi, waiting for you or miss Rojas to show up. They haven't crossed the railings, but I suggest you wear your sunglasses, keep your head low and walk behind me if you don't want to be the first page tomorrow." Lena eyed them behind her driver's figure and huffed, shaking her head in frustration.

"Guys, she's out!" One of them yelled, and immediately they all grabbed their cameras and the click sound, concealed the birds' chatter. Lena walked quickly, following her driver, who held the car's door opened for her.

"How do you feel about Lillian's death?"

"In what state is miss Rojas?"

"Some say the blonde woman was Kara Danvers, the reporter. Is it just rumours?"

"Miss Luthor, one statement about your brother's disappearance!" The voices muffled as Robert pushed the door closed. Still wearing her sunglasses, she lowered her head, and as the car passed the gates slowly and the reporters surrounded the vehicle, she hid her face with her hand. Some of them even tried to open the door, but thankfully, her driver had locked, prepared for such invasion. Even if this had been happening for years, Lena couldn't still get used to it.

Only when they drove away from the crowd, she fished her phone from her coat's pocket and immediately texted Alex.

 **From Witch:** L-Corp in ten.

 **From Alex Danvers:** Trailing an alien in the sewers I'll be there in 1h

Lena sighed and rubbed her temple. If it weren't Alex, she would feel sorry for the woman. Kara was entirely out of her mind leaving only her sister and J'onn fighting with the criminal aliens. DEO was useless without someone ruining it. She was surprised the army hadn't taken over yet. _Maybe Lex's has some secret agreement with them, probably having arranged the outcome of ending Supergirl._

In the meantime, she called Sam to thank her for taking over for the past days and ask whether she had time to grab a coffee. When her friend accepted, relief filled her, thanking Sam mentally for not treating her as she deserved. Because if it were the opposite, Lena would have probably denied and tell her off or start a conflict.

Since Lena had some free time until Sam's arrival, she asked Robert to drive her to National City Beanery to get some coffee for both of them, but he told her it would be unwise for her since reporters were going crazy after the announcement of Lillian's death. As a result, she sent Jess to get them and gave her a break 'till noon. She took a sip of her coffee and double-checked her presentation for the afternoon's meeting when a knock made her stop. On her calling out "Come in", Sam's heels echoed on the wooden floor.

"Radiant as always!" Lena said, offering her friend a broad smile while reaching for a hug that Sam barely reciprocated.

"Cut the blandish and tell me what happened with Kara and where is she." She took a seat on the couch, beside Lena and reached for the plastic cup on the coffee table, asking her friend to thank Jess later but Lena was too bewildered to hear anything.

"Wait, how do you know Kara's not here? I didn't mention it last night." Sam's body immediately stiffened and placed the cup slowly back on the side table.

"Why you didn't mention it? Didn't you think it is important to me, your friend, to know?"

"I can see your lame effort to avoid my question, and you're not getting away with it. And I was exhausted, and jet-lagged yesterday. Now, how do you know?" Sam sat up on her seat, uneasy, avoiding her friend's eyes. Then her head lowered to her tangled fingers that she pushed together until hearing the crack sound.

"Alex told me." She said nervously.

"That was it? What else are you hiding?" Lena asked, arching her eyebrow.

"N..nnothing."

"Sam!"

"Okay, fine! But swear you won't judge." Sam raised her index finger to Lena, warningly.

"Trust me, I'm the last person entitled to judge." She took a deep breath and choosing her following words carefully, Sam decided to speak.

"Alex and I...We... Actually, Alex had a date with Kelly, but Kelly stood her up because something came up in her new job. Alex was pissed because that keeps happening after Obsidian's bankruptcy and she's always busy with her new job because they must approve her hard work. I tried to console her, and we got out for drinks, we got drunk, and she smashed a bottle in the bar by mistake, we paid for it, but the barman kicked us out for making trouble, so we ended up in her apartment to drink more. And we were drunk and talked about various matters, we came closer and..."

"Don't you tell me!" Lena interrupted with a shocked look on her face.

"You swore you wouldn't judge!"

"You had sex with her?"

"Oh, God, no! We only made out. But we stopped before it was too late."

"You only made out? Sam, she has a girlfriend!"

"What was I thinking of telling you..." Sam muttered angrily and stood up, ready to walk away, but Lena gripped her wrist and stopped her.

"Wait, I'm sorry. I'm in no position of judging someone about morality. I've done much worse. But before you attempt anything else, as your friend I have to warn you that you'll get yourself some great trouble and drama." Sam sat down again.

"I'm not getting myself into trouble. I was just drunk, I don't even know if I like Alex, I mean it wasn't my first kiss with a woman, but I haven't gone further, you know... But except that, it was just a mistake, and we both know it."

"You talked about it?"

"No, why would we?"

"Then how do you know it felt like a mistake for her too?" Lena was slightly angry now, as the subject was a touchy one since it reminded her similar situation with Kara.

"Because as you said she has a girlfriend and we were drunk. I don't think Alex likes me like that. She just wanted to drown her loneliness."

"I don't know. I wouldn't be certain until I talked to her if I were you."

"Okay fine, I'll talk to her only to prove you wrong. Now tell me what the hell happened with Kara?" Lena explained everything to her friend, including the details of their kiss, which made Sam's mouth open widely.

"No way! I mean I always suspected you had feelings for her but being reciprocated? I didn't see that coming." Lena furrowed her eyebrows at her response.

"What do you mean you always suspected I liked her?"

"I watched the way you looked at her. Your face screamed it, especially your eyes. I wonder how no one didn't notice."

"Nonsense!"

"Oh, please. I may only be your friend for three years, but I can see through your mask." Lena rested on her elbow on the couch's back and that starred Sam thoughtfully. She wasn't used to be that exposed to people. But it was her friend, the closest one after Kara. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Sam continued mockingly, trying not to laugh because of Lena's panicking.

"You're such an idiot!"

"You love me."

"Indeed."

The rest of the time passed with Sam trying to comfort Lena about the situation with Kara. She was convinced their friendship was over. Her chest ached even to the thought of never speaking to her again. But she would admit it neither to Sam nor herself. Lena did what she always could do the best. Pretend everything was fine and wasn't in pain, wasn't heartbroken for once again. An entire hour passed, and they didn't even realise it. A knock on the door distracted them from an in-depth conversation about Sam's expectations in a relationship. The person that knocked didn't wait for a response, to enter. And when they entered, Sam's breath hitched. Alex's body stilled right in front of the door, looking at their direction completely stunned. Lena hadn't ever witnessed Alex being so awkward. She mentally hissed for forgetting to warn Sam.

"You asked to see me," Alex said hesitantly, fidgeting her fingers nervously. "Sam." She gave a small nod in a greeting way, and Sam returned it adding a contained smile.

"I should go now." She stood up, and Lena followed, hugging her tightly.

"Will I see you before leaving?"

"To be honest, I'm planning to stay a little bit more here. I mean, Metropolis still trying to get rebuilt from the anti-matter wave and here it's so... well... here." Sam said awkwardly, avoiding to let her stare meet Alex's figure at all cost.

"Oh, that's fantastic! We'll talk then!" Lena exclaimed enthusiastically, not letting the heavy air in the room affect her.

"Yeah of course. Oh, and don't worry, L-Corp in Metropolis is fine. I let it in good hands." Sam said while heading to the door, passing beside Alex like she wasn't there, forming a disgusted grimace, Lena found it hard to interpret why.

"I'm sure!" Lena replied, smiling at her friend. By the time the door closed, her smile had faltered and turned to Alex. She put all her emotions about the woman in a small box inside her mind, pretending she didn't know Kara's sister was a cheater.

"Andrea didn't send William to Dublin," Lena said out of sudden and headed to her desk, to sit in the chair. Alex followed silently with her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking at the ground thoughtfully.

"Then how did he know you were there?" Alex broke the silence after a while. As she approached closer to the desk, an intense nauseating odour entered her nostrils, and Lena understood the reason for Sam's grimace.

"You were definitely in the sewers, weren't you?" Lena said having the same facial expression as her friend before, but when Alex gave her a pointed look, she tried to put it aside. "Okay, I have no idea." She continued.

"Do you think he knows... About Kara?" She said suggestively, and the grip of the pencil on her hand tightened, to the point the crack sound filled the silent room. Alex's eyes fell instantly on the broken pencil but quickly switched back to Lena's indecipherable pair.

"There's a possibility."

"Are you sure Andrea didn't lie?"

"I'm one hundred per cent certain she was honest. I've thought of every reason she could have lied, and I find none. And I know her, she was too broken and drunk to be in the position to lie." Lena brought her index finger unconsciously to her lips.

"Then how?!" Alex said with frustration.

"Have you searched his past?" Lena asked, biting her nail manically while staring at the black screen of her laptop.

"I did but all the information he gave matched with his bio."

"Maybe you didn't search deep enough." They both stayed silent while brainstorming for some idea to learn more about his past. "Wait!" Lena shrieked as she remembered vital information. "What do you know about his parents?"

"Uh, nothing. There was nothing about it on the internet."

"We need to search the database."

"We can't. Going back to DEO is a death warrant considering your brother is out there, doing hell knows what. Brainy is gone, and as far as I'm concerned, you're not a hacker."

"I'm much more things that you and everyone I allow you to see. I spent years studying programming as it was essential in the college I attended. The point is that even if I use proxies to access the server, there is a tiny chance the government traces my location. It would put L-Corp in danger, and it's not a risk I'm willing to take." Alex paced back and forth with her fists clenched. _Of course, the witch can hack an entire database. William Sidis would be jealous of her mind._ Recycling over and over again the same idea in her brain, she tried to resist revealing their new base but realising they had no other choice, Alex took a deep breath and decided to speak.

"I know a place." She admitted, and Lena arched, her eyebrow intrigued. "You have to come and see it by yourself." Now Lena was even more intrigued and her forehead creased as her eyebrow raised even higher.

"Now? I have a meeting in the afternoon."

"Of course you care more about your meeting than your friend's life." Alex provoked, returning to her old manners.

"You have no right of accusing, me, for something like that!" Lena's thick and emotional voice sounded without caring to hide her Irish accent now.

"Say whatever you want, as long as the Luthors blood runs in your veins, I won't change my mind."

"Like I care about your opinion."

"Then you shouldn't mind my manners and my distrust towards you," Alex said, walking away while Lena was still sitting on her chair, clasping its arms tightly, fighting to keep her composure. "Are you coming?"

Exiting the entrance of the building, they came across with a group of reporters, flashing their cameras towards them and Alex had to cover her head with both of her hands literally. Had her face been on the news along with Lena, they would attract too much-unwanted attention by their enemies. Lena hissed internally and said she wouldn't make any statements to a reporter who almost stabbed her with the microphone. Robert came just on time and opened a path for them to reach the car safely. He pushed back some of the reporters that wouldn't allow him to open the door. Alex's eyes landed on the insanely expensive limited production car, she chuckled, shaking her head. Lena pretended she didn't hear it and immediately started checking her emails through her phone to avoid watching the woman's face. She was glad Sam had taken over L-Corp and left everything neat and ready for Lena's come back. No one else was capable of managing her company faultlessly.

The car pulled up out of an old building with an entrance that looked like belonging to an office. Robert was about to exit the driver's seat to open the door for them, but Lena stopped him and said it wasn't needed. Getting out of the car, some pedestrians starred with aversion, recognising Lena and the last name that haunted her. Being used to it, she raised her chin and fixed her posture, while averting her gaze from them, like they were negligible petty human beings. Not that she ever enjoyed treating people like that, but she thought some of them deserved it.

"Just to be clear about this, I don't trust you, and mainly I don't like you. But since we have no other choice, let me introduce you to the Tower."

"The Tower?"

"Yes!" Alex said with an enthusiasm that Lena couldn't share.

"I'm sure the castle of Dracula was regal compared to this."

"Something you know by your experience." Alex retorted sarcastically, gaining an eye roll from Lena. They walked to the entrance and Lena was about to grab the handle and push the door open, but Alex's firm grip on the handle stopped her.

"If you act like a snake again, I swear I'll cut your head off." She threatened, wearing the scariest look on her face but Lena didn't seem affected at all.

"Are you done? Because I have this meeting, I need to attend at three." And by that Alex opened the door. The first impression Lena got, was more of storage than a decent building. The place was dark, only illuminated by the dim light coming from a window door beside the entrance and two other small windows with old, dusty, wooden shutters. It looked more like an entrance to a yard. Some piteous lamps were hanging from the cell, switched off at this time, and two wood tables, one of them having a computer placed on it. A TV screen on the other side of the building and some wooden stairs leading to an armoury, mostly equipped with Alex's weapons. Petty compared to DEO's weaponry. On the other corner of the building, there was another wooden desk with an ancient light microscope and an equally old PCR machine. _How can they live without a scanning electron microscope? With that old useless thing, they can only see the chromosomes. And that only during the metaphase of cell division! What the hell is this place?_ Lastly but not least, Lena noticed an empty, dusty paper box placed beside the wooden stairs that led to the window door. _That's probably the final touch of the dainty decoration._

"Whoah Alex, what the hell?" J'onn exclaimed when he saw Lena standing beside Alex, peering into the place curiously.

"I know we should have discussed it first but trust me she's our only chance to save Kara."

"Save Kara? From whom? And what smells so bad?" J'onn asked exasperated, resting his hands on his waist, and Alex gave him a brief explanation, without excluding the critical information. He paid attention closely, and some times he would catch a quick glimpse of Lena, who was ambulating in the room. She brushed her index finger on the table and stared at with a disgusted face as it turned grey from the excessive dust. _Oh my god, I'm acting like Lillian right now!_ She quickly swept her finger with a tissue she extracted from her bag and approached J'onn and Alex, who shared an intense conversation. Effortlessly she understood they fought because of her since J'onn was opposing about her aid. Lena had expected it and didn't discomfort her at all. After getting treated like that from Kara, sometimes her emotions would go numb, especially when experiencing people's aversion towards her. It felt like she had reached the crest of pain pillar, finding out about Kara, and every fight after that was negligible and indifferent to her. When they finally ended their conversation, they both approached her.

"How long will it take you to hack DEO's database?" Alex asked with her face neutral like she hadn't been fighting with her closest friend.

"You must be mad if you think I can operate in this storage room, with this archaic technology machines." Lena huffed.

"Hey, speak kinder about this place. I built it with much sweat." J'onn said grumpily and remarkably offended.

"Oh, I am pretty sure. That ancient microscope must have been very heavy to carry." Lena burst into laughter at her joke, which she thought was hilarious, but when the others gave her a stern look, she fell quiet and pressed her lips together.

"Are you sure if you do this, the place will remain outside of government's oversight?" J'onn asked.

"No, I'm not sure, but I'm pretty confident it will succeed without getting revealed. I mean it's not that hard to connect to eighty different foreign countries proxies and then enter the database. But there's a tiny chance of getting exposed." Lena answered the honesty written on her face, and neither of them dared to doubt her.

"Alex, we can't risk it. If they take this place too, then what's left for us?"

"What other option do we have? And J'onn we are talking about Kara! Kara might be in danger because this William planning god knows what. She would have risk it all for us without a second thought. And we will always have each other, no matter what." J'onn remained silent for a few seconds, thinking of Alex's words. Then he nodded to her and turned to Lena.

"Welcome to the Super Friends team."

_ Sunday _

_Lena parked the car out of the cemetery. She bent forward, resting her forehead on the steering wheel, taking a deep breath._

_"I can do this!" She said to herself and unfastening her seatbelt, decided to exit the car. The high humidity levels combined with the chilly weather caused goosebumps on her skin, and she tightened the black coat's belt around her waist. Cursing herself for deciding to wear a dress, leaving her legs exposed to the cold, she put on her sunglasses and passed the gate. Lena was aware it looked odd wearing sunglasses while the fog, which the sunrise could not pierce, minimised her vision of the path between the graves. But she didn't trust herself even if she had sworn to herself; she wouldn't let a single tear slip down, for Lillian._

_Sauntering as her high heels sank in the wet grass, she reached her mother's opened tomb. There she saw only the men who waited for her to say her last goodbyes and burry the closed coffin. Taking a deep breath, she nodded to the men who lifted the casket effortlessly and started lowering it into the ground. She struggled not to get emotional, but when she felt arms around her, embracing her, she broke down. With her blurred vision, she saw Nessa, Sean and Ciara approaching to hug her firmly and she couldn't be more grateful than that. Even if she knew Lillian would scold her for crying in front of other people, Lena couldn't help it._

_When the four men slid out the ropes and removed the support, they suggested Lena should throw the first amount of soil. They passed her a glove which she accepted promptly and grabbed some portion with her hand._

_"Mors Vincit Omnia," Lena whispered and opened her fist to watch the soil falling, still trembling from the last sobs. Her friends remained with her, until the end, watching the men shovel up. Even if they didn't know Lillian and had formed a negative impression about her by Lena's complaints during the year, she spent with them._

_Everyone's head lifted when they heard footsteps approaching. Two figures formed in the thick mist and when they were close enough for her features to clear out, it was evident, Kara and William were walking upon them. Lena's eyes searched for Kara's, but when the other averted her gaze and lowered her head, she immediately noticed their clutched hands. Her heart shattered in pieces again, hissing mentally for not being emotionally prepared for something like this. It was too apparent from the way she had left the previous night and never returned in the apartment. In the morning, Lena had woken up with a horrible mood but tried to push it away since they would have to travel back right after the funeral. Knocking the door but never getting a reply, she expected to find Kara sleeping in her bed but opening the door slowly, she came across with an empty, untouched bed and all her belongings missing. Only the balcony's door was left opened letting a freezing breeze enter, but Lena's blood pressure was so high that she could barely feel any cold. Her entire body was conquered of hellfire and hurt. William and Kara stood beside Lena, and her friends immediately took some steps back and gave them some privacy._

_"My condolences," William said flatly and offered her his hand. Lena wanted to spit on his face and throw him in the hole to keep company to her mother, but her manners and citizenship would never permit such a gesture. So instead she shook his hand with the slightest bit of pressure and then he went to join her friends, giving them some time alone._

_"I'm sorry, I was late. William wouldn't wake up easily. How are you?" Kara asked like it was just another typical day like the previous night had never happened, and everything was fine between them. And Lena felt her blood boil at her friend's behaviour._

_"You're codding me, aren't you?" Kara's expression turned sad immediately and looked down to her feet, avoiding Lena's furious gaze. Lena waited for her to say something, but as the minutes passed and the silence was unbearable, she lost her patience. "I can't do this right now. I'll see you at the airport."_

_"I'm not coming with you." Lena's body stiffened immediately. Her eyes were searching Kara's for some hint of a joke._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"William said he will stay for another week to get that interview and asked me to join him." Lena's body and face remained still without betraying any emotion, looking like an unconscious robot. But inwardly, her mind erupted like a volcano where fury split everywhere instead of lava. No one else in her entire life had made her feel such strong emotions. She could always control herself and shut people out, but when it came to Kara, it was inevitable to contain her feelings, whether it was anger or love or hate. And now it was a mix of all the three._

_"Are you listening to yourself?" Not able to hold it anymore, she cried in a storm of passion, tears wetting her cheeks. She raised her glasses and steadied them on the top of her head, not caring about the mess she looked. Kara's chest tightened, watching Lena in this state, but her decision to keep her distance from her friend was terminal. She needed time for herself to think and stay away from the intoxicated woman standing before her. Because Kara the previous night had lost every control of her body, of her mind. All her beliefs about herself disappeared in a few minutes and now had no idea how to deal with her new realisation of herself. William was just a safe board, but she was too confused, facing a great denial to admit it. Because liking a girl wasn't a big deal for her but wanting her best friend was something huge, and it scared her. But while trying to find herself, she hurt the one person that would give everything away just to see her happy, after Eliza and Alex._

_"I don't see where's the problem spending time with my boyfriend in a beautiful foreign country."_

_"Your boyfriend?!" She choked with indignation._

_"Lena, please don't make this any harder," Kara said lowly._

_"No, this is enough! Kara, you need to know that W..."_

_"No!"_

_"Don't interrupt me!"_

_"Lena please I don't want to hear it." Kara's voice broke a little and tears filled her eyes, threatening to fall. She wasn't ready to lose her best friend. She wasn't prepared to listen to the rejection. To listen to: "Kara, it was just a simple kiss for me, and it didn't mean anything" when it meant so much to her. Because for her it wasn't just a simple kiss and she didn't want to be the next Nessa in Lena's life in National City. And that's why when her friend insisted, she cut her off and walked away, back to her insurance, to William's hug. Politely, Kara greeted everyone, even Nessa and soon enough felt Lena's presence beside her. Catching only a glimpse of her, since she was too scared to meet her eyes, Kara noticed she had put on her sunglasses again and her deep red colour on her lips along with her severe bun, showed off her diva attitude. Lena informed her friends she had a flight to catch and they shared a mutual hug like before. Her friends were devastated for her departure especially Nessa, something that Kara least expected. She thought that woman lacked any genuine emotion, but it wasn't right. Lena, Without bothering to talk to Kara and William, she turned around and walked to her car while the others parted soon enough, after planning to have a night out altogether._

_Lena was stomping to the exit of the cemetery, passing between graves and mausoleums when a group of reporters circled her, imposing questions about her mother. Reaching her car with great difficulty, she tried to open the door, but a specific woman was insisting much more than the rest of the reporters, blocking her from entering the car. She only admitted to that woman that Lillian Luthor was dead and asked her in the politest way her mood allowed to step away. The woman convinced with her statement backed off but kept putting the microphone in front of Lena's face. Bright camera flash directly into her eyes forced her to grimace as she entered the car, being glad at the same time for wearing her black sunglasses and not getting blinded by it. She slammed the door shut and started the engine quickly. The beast roared fiercely, and the reporters immediately stepped back, afraid of losing their limbs if they kept close to the Ferrari. And pushing the gas pedal, Lena's disappeared in the fog alone, leaving the crowd behind her, while Kara and William entered a taxi. He leaned on to give her a small peck but hearing the notification sound, he sat upon his seat to extract the phone from his pocket. When he saw the message, he gave a short gaze to Kara, making sure she was distracted watching the city through her window and quickly texted back._

**_To Lex Luthor:_ ** _Everything goes according to the plan._


	12. Bye Witch

“Place it there,” Lena said using an authoritative tone, pointing the space beside the entrance to a group of men that held an enormous heavy parcel, sweating and flushing. She was sitting in a green velvet vintage armchair with her legs crossed, watching the men carrying her special orders, like a queen observing her servants. Even if she was too humble to feel like that, her manners passed a different image of her. At this point, she was hot under the collar because these men carried extremely precious and sensitive technology, similar to her lab’s, and it was too expensive, even for her. The men dropped the box abruptly on the floor, and Lena jumped up on her feet in a cold sweat state. “Are you insane? I told you to carry specifically this one gently!” She barked and the man who seemed the chief of the courier team turned to apologise, claiming it slipped off their hands and it was too heavy to contain it. Huffing, Lena sat down again, and while waiting for the men to complete the delivery, she opened the stocks app on her phone. CatCo’s had jumped higher than ever, making it one of the worthiest stocks to invest. Claiming it back now seemed a distant dream. Luckily for her, she had lost any interest in getting it back. She had to cover the expenses for her upcoming product and display it on the market anyway.

After some minutes, Alex and J’onn stepped inside slowly, watching the men covering the boxes in a mix of terror and anger. They took a glance of the freshly painted space around them, more illuminated than ever, as the lamps were replaced with modern LED light bars anchored on fanciful graven plasterboard on the ceiling. The door’s, leading to the yard, glass was replaced with colourful baroque vitraux, secured from the outside with thick bulletproof glass. All the windows were replaced with bulletproof non-transparent glass, and the wooden shutters, with others made by the Nth metal. The parquet’s solid timbers shinned under the bright light in the room and the smell of fresh ecological paint drew their attention to the beige walls that seemed to be thicker, enhanced with insulation layer distribution improving the building’s thermal performance. The desks and machines were all removed and replaced with newer and better quality ones. The corner where the old microscope existed, now was filled with an entire science lab. It wasn’t as compounded as Lena’s, but Alex could work correctly. There was a stainless steel examination bed too, along with lamps providing solar energy, for Kara. Alex’s armoury was filled with weapons like the DEO used to fight specific cases of alien criminals that standard laser guns couldn’t affect them.

Moreover, the yard was now filled with trees and mowed in various shapes, bushes. Even three long benches and a fountain were placed in the middle of the yard, under the magnolia trees. Lastly, a small cosy corner was filled with a wooden library, and similar furniture J’onn’s office possessed in the old world. The only addition was Lena’s armchair that was sitting right now on. When she heard the creak on the wooden floor, caused by their steps, she raised her head from the phone and put it back in her bag.

“Oh, hey, I hope you like the changes. I took the initiative on this because we can’t stall any longer. I didn’t have time to replace the doors yet, I mean to make a specific order, not that I am capable of changing it by myself. But I will soon.”

“What the hells is this? We told you specifically this place must stay a secret and you brought here a bunch of strangers carrying out who knows what!” J’onn almost yelled angrily, but Lena expected this reaction, so it didn’t catch her off guard. Instead, she was fully prepared to give explanations quickly and then run back to her boardroom. _And then people wonder why I don’t have a personal life._

“Every each one of these men has signed a contract before entering this place and trust me the sanctions are too cruel even to dare to say something. They will spend the rest of their life suffering and trying to pay the debt. Moreover, I charged all these purchases in a secret account I own in HSBC in Zurich and in case you don’t know, it’s almost impossible to provide information about a bank account without the owner’s approval, even if it’s the CIA asking for it. Now that you’re here, please excuse me I have to go back to L-Corp.” Lena said and left hurriedly. J’onn and Alex kept looking around with their jaws wide open, processing the changes.

“Oh my god! Look at this PCR specification machine! And the distillation! Oh my god, that witch knows the way to my heart!”

“Mine too. Alex, this corner is exactly like my office in the old world.” They had both the same face children would when their parents would buy them their favourite toys. Alex’s attention fell to the weaponry, and she quickly climbed the stairs, not believing in her eyes when she came across with the upgraded equipment.

“J’onn these are exactly the same we used in DEO!” She yelled, and he came quickly to join her, wearing the same shocked facial expression. She touched the modified Hera Arms CPE that fired a concentrated blast of nuclear energy.

“Okay, I had my doubts yesterday, but now I think it is definitely for good, that she joined the team.” He said in a severe tone as always.

“I think so too. But I still have my doubts.” Before J’onn could answer an alarm sounded from a computer machine beside the huge parcels the men had delivered. Thankfully they had already left and didn’t have to witness the deafening sound, enhancing their curiosity.

“What the fuck is that?” Alex walked to the computer covering her ears with her hands, and J’onn followed doing the same.

“Probably some security trespass?” He yelled, but Alex could only decipher his saying by reading his lips. Reaching the computer, she pushed some buttons, guessing they would make it stop she was proved right. The alarm went off, and they felt immediately relieved. The recording of a live traffic camera appeared on the big TV screen, on the wall opposite of them, showing an alien attacking a bank.

“Oh, this is happening now? And we have access to traffic cameras? Coooool!” Alex said enthusiastically with a grin.

“I’m on it,” J’onn said and changed his form to Supergirl.

“We need to take the alarm off when you come back,” Alex said, and he just nodded, opening the backyard’s door to fly away but he stopped to admire the now backyard garden. He chuckled and shook his her before pushing his feet on the ground and flying to the sky.

On the other hand, Lena was sitting on her chair, listening to a boring presentation of some construction’s company president. Even if the man did his best to convince her, it would be an unprofitable investment, and she had to decline. The board agreed with her, and the man left the boardroom abruptly and completely exasperated, slamming the glass door behind him, so hard that it cracked.

“Jess!” Lena yelled, rubbing her temple. The woman paced quickly inside the room while the members of the board slowly started making their way to the exit, gathering their personal belongings.

“Yes, miss Luthor?”

“Add the door’s replacement to the company’s expenses.”

“Right away miss Luthor.”

“What’s my schedule for the rest of the day?”

“Uh, it’s free. You asked me to transfer all your appointments for tomorrow.” Jess’s formal tone prevented her from showing the confusion. Lena sighed at the thought of having an overbearing schedule tomorrow. She would probably need to work until late to finish all her tasks.

“Oh, yes, right. Then you shall have the rest of the day off.”

“Thank you miss Luthor, see you tomorrow.” Her secretary said happily and left the room, leaving Lena alone. Turning her black leather chair, she got lost on the view of the city in front of her. The window wall offered a perfect sight of the skyline from above. As the sun was setting, she closed her eyes and threw her head back on the chair, enjoying the warmth of the rays on her body. Her mind unwillingly travelled back to the steamy kiss she shared with Kara. Since her return, she didn’t have time to process what happened, since L-Corp and her side job to the Tower occupied her mind, to the point of drowning her. Now it was the first time she could have some time alone, not to eat or sleep, just to enjoy the company of herself. Because even if her job required her to be a social person, she was an introvert and people drained her most of the time.

A burning sensation conquered her entire body, and she was sure it wasn’t because of the sun, so she quickly opened her eyes and pushed the thought of that moment out of her mind. She dug her nails in her palm, completely mad with herself. After everything Kara had done her, after every wrong, her body still craved for her. Lena’s most important rule to always act according to her mind and not her heart, but with Kara, she couldn’t help it. She was madly in love with her, more than she would ever admit to herself. But there was nothing that could be done. Kara’s denial blinded her to the point of treating Lena like an object of experiment. _I won’t allow her treating me like that. And when she returns, I’ll still be her friend, but I’ll set some limits! I’ll forget everything that happened back then; I’ll forget her touch, the taste of her lips, the feeling of her body against mine. I won’t think about her light blue eyes again, or the goosebumps of her skin under my fingers. I will keep my distances, and she will have to accept it. Otherwise, I’ll keep our relationship formal, only interacting with her as Supergirl, to help her catch my brother. Yes! That’s it! I’m going to stick to this plan. And I’ll make it work!_

Observing the horizon before her, she saw a grey smoke coming out of a building far away, and she was suddenly reminded there was a specific reason for cancelling all her appointments. Without losing any more time by sitting there and doing nothing, she quickly stood up and gathered her coat and bag to head back to the Tower. There she found Alex sitting on the chair of the mini-lab Lena made for her, testing her new toys enthusiastically. She couldn’t help but smile pleasantly at the view, like when she had brought that whisky back in the game night. The sound her stilettos made on the wooden floor drew Alex’s attention, whose face immediately turned to neutral as soon as she glared her. Lena was prepared for an offensive comment or some scold about not asking before renovating the place, but Alex said nothing. And Lena could interpret it as a sign of gratitude towards her, even if Alex didn’t express it.

“Hey, could you please set that alarm off every time some incident shows up?”

“Did I just hear you saying “please” to me?” Lena asked sarcastically and dropped her bag on a chair, to approach the computer.

“It just slipped my mouth, don’t get used to it,” Alex answered sternly, but there was some teasing in the way she said it. Lena took off her coat and sat on the chair before the computer. She called Alex to join her beside her, showing the essential functions of the machines.

“You really love wasting your money for others,” Alex said after Lena finishing the guidance to every new feature added to the place.

“I don’t see it as a waste. This way, I can help to catch Lex sooner.”

“With magnolias in the backyard?” Lena rolled her eyes and didn’t answer. Instead, she went back to the computer, making the preparations to enter the DEO’s database. “You really love my sister, don’t you?” She asked out of sudden and Lena instantly froze. But without looking at the woman beside her, she continued typing on computer the code.

“She’s my best friend,” Lena replied simply like her head wasn’t light from the pressure and adrenaline running through her veins.

“You know what I mean.” Alex pushed.

“No, I have no idea. And if you think I’m doing this only for Kara, you’re wrong.” Lena smartly led the conversation to somewhere else to get off the hook.

“You mean you’re doing it for us? You are that desperate? Lonely Lena Luthor desperately seeking for friends?” Alex chuckled thinking of it as a good joke, but Lena was bitter and found no humour in it at all.

“I mean that I seek redemption for my actions.” Lena lied. It wasn’t entirely a lie but not also the only truth. Deeply down, she liked that even for a short period, she would hang out with Kara’s friends too. All her time, she had been a lonely person except when she managed to escape Lillian’s authority and go to Dublin. But except that, she only had Jack after fighting with Andrea. Even if she had gotten used to the loneliness, it still made her sad, and after meeting Kara and slowly joining her social circle, Lena finally could feel like she belonged somewhere. Feel like a part of a team. It took her much effort to hide her enthusiasm for eventually joining the super friends’ team even though she was just a human with no abilities to fighting. She won that position with her wittiness and bits of knowledge.

“Well, you should.” Alex retorted, and Lena felt her breath uneven now, as rage conquered her.

“Don’t push it!” She warned, eyeing the woman beside her with the corner of her eyes. Alex raised her hands in the air as a sign of surrender and kept her mouth shut. Lena finished the code and loaded the proxy software and enabled the Tor and encryption to mask their identity.

“What’s this code supposed to do? Looks like greek to me.” Alex said, eyeing at the screen without the slightest idea of what Lena was doing. Deeply down, a tiny part of her admired the woman beside her even more.

“It’s a code exactly the same the DEO is using on their database. The only difference is I have a hidden a virus in it. A virus that will extract information and transfer them directly to our system. I will plant it there, and no one will notice.”

“Wait, won’t they notice the virus? How will you pass the firewall? There’s no point they won’t figure it out; the system immediately alarms if it detects an attack.”

“That’s why I will use another virus that will cause the system to shut down for a minute. Sixty seconds without the firewall on is more than enough to plant the code. The system will reboot, and the other virus will fail, making them think their system blocked the attack.”

“You’ll use diversion.”

“Exactly!”

“And what if they trace us?”

“If they do, it will take them lots of time. Firstly, they will have to follow my trace to over than eighty countries which means each country must collaborate with them. I used the proxy mainly from third world country that is harder for them to get access since their tyrannic government will think the DEO wants to spy on them. Secondly, they will have to decrypt my encrypted files, but my ciphertext is insanely hard to encrypt. It will take them days even months to do so. Lastly but not least, they will have to run various recovery programs to access the deleted files and crack many passwords.” Alex stared completely bewildered since her knowledge in hacking were negligible. She had learned only a few things from all these years working for DEO, but except that, she was utterly ignorant.

“Damn, you’re good!” Her eyes widened as her thoughts slipped her mouth.

“A “please” and a compliment today? I’m shooketh.” Lena made sure to emphasise the last word in an excessive tone of surprise that made Alex punch her shoulder a bit more substantial than a just playful way. Lena rubbed the spot and grimaced, but Alex burst into a peal of loud laughter and Lena couldn’t help but chuckle too.

“Luthor, stop making me laugh; otherwise, I’ll end you.” Alex tried to maintain a stern tone, but she ended up smiling.

“I’m terrified.” Lena rolled her eyes teasingly and turned to look at the computer’s screen, still having a subtle crook on her lips. She triple checked the code, making sure it fitted perfectly and implemented her plan. Alex never left her side, watching everything in awe. “And… done. Now they are going to inform my brother some novice hacker tried to enter their database.” Lena said proudly, and when the DEO’s system rebooted, they got access to all the files and documents. She typed “William Dey” on the searching bar, and a file with his ID photo on it appeared. Information like the birth certificate to his current job showed up, and they read everything silently. To their both disappointment, nothing connected him to Dublin or something suspicious. His bio showed he had the perfect life except for an incident that Alex noticed and asked Lena to go back before exiting the system.

“Wait, here it says his entire family died in a car accident.” She said, pointing the computer screen to show Lena.

“Oh, right! He mentioned it at the club. He has a tattoo on his lower abdomen with the letters of his family.”

“How the hell did you see the tattoo?”

“He was walking around shirtless like a chav.”

“What a jerk!”

“Tell me about it…”

“Do you remember the letters?” Alex asked and jumped quickly to get a notepad and a pen for Lena to write them down.

“Uh, I think it was Ellen, Nora, Daisy and… Niall.” She said with her eyes closed, trying to recall the scene in her mind. “No, no, no, wait! None of the letters double existed. It wasn’t Niall. It was… Liam! Alex mentally thanked the woman for having such a strong memory, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to remember those names by herself.

“Do you think something happened the night they died?”

“I don’t know let’s find out more.” Lena typed the date of the incident on the search bar, and more than thousands of pages showed up in the results, full of articles, birth certificates and various reports. “Great…”

“Add “car accident” beside the date.” She promptly did, and the pages were lesser this time but not few enough.

“Oh, blimey!”

“You’re kidding me. More than thirty thousand car accidents happened that day in the world?!” Alex yelled.

“I know right, that’s insane!” Lena said, trying to perceive the fact.

“People are so fucking careless. Oh, god.” Alex said, adjusting the fringe that blocked her vision. “Maybe if you could add death beside?” Only four hundred search results appeared, and they both sighed in relief.

“Okay, I guess there’s nothing else we can do to minimise the results. Let’s start reading.” They both fixed their eyes on the screen, skimming the headlines. Half an hour passed until they found a relevant article.

“Wait! That’s Midvale’s newspaper.”

“But he was born in Metropolis.”

“I know! But his family was there for some reason the day when…” Cold sweat ran through Alex’s body. “That’s the same day Kara’s ship landed in Midvale. Oh, my God. Is there any reference to the location it happened?” Lena scrolled down quickly, reaching the end, but nothing was written about how the accident happened or the exact location.

“No.”

“If our assumptions are right, if William had an ulterior motive to approach Kara, he probably has connected her somehow with that day. He knows Supergirl arrived that day on Earth and probably hates her!” Alex stood up from the chair and paced nervously.

“Keep doing that, and you’ll open a hole on the floor,” Lena said sarcastically trying to lighten the mood and avoid thinking of the knot in her neck and the possibility of Kara being in danger. But Alex didn’t even listen to her.

“How did he know that Kara is Supergirl? There’s no way except…”

“Lex.”

“Lex…” Alex had a horrified look on her face, and Lena thought she would die right there. She approached her and not believing herself either, she touched the woman’s shoulder in a comforting way. The gesture immediately caught her attention, a confirmation that her brain still worked perfectly, but surprisingly didn’t back off.

“We don’t even know if any of this is true. It’s all just assumptions. We need to get more information before jumping to conclusions.” Lena said, comforting Alex and herself at the same time.

“How?”

“Like the old fashion way. Stakeout.”

“Stakeout? For real? He’s not even here.”

“Then, we will force them to come back. Can’t you send J’onn to bring her back? Because seriously, even if I just joined your little group, I can see J’onn is struggling to fight all this crime by himself and you, with all due respect, you don’t have the superpowers she has. I still can’t believe she ignored her duty for just a man.” Lena huffed, crossing her arms on her chest.

“I was thinking the same, to be honest. I know she’s my sister, but I can’t justify her actions anymore. She needs to hear it when she returns.”

“I totally agree.”

“You know, this must be the first time we actually agree. Oh, Luthor, now that the job’s done get the hell out of here before I start to like you.” Lena’s lips curved into a smile that faded long after she picked her handbag and wore her coat. She opened the door, and before exiting, she turned to Alex again, who was starring at the notepad thoughtfully.

“Good night, Danvers.”

“Bye, witch,”


	13. Heartless

Two days passed since Lena saw Alex. The duty as a CEO drowned her until the time on her phone indicated 3 a.m. Then her mind would stop functioning correctly and Lena would have to sleep on her couch for a few hours before getting up again to keep working. She had asked her driver to bring her some clothes and her personal care products to use since her office was her home now. Even Sam had offered to help her but knowing Lena's obsession with work, didn't insist any more. On the other hand, Alex was struggling, fighting criminals all by herself since J'onn went to Dublin to talk to Kara, who never answered her comm. She let herself fall in the couch, not caring for marking the furniture with the stink of burn. _Fucking fire aliens. May all the fire moons stay away from this planet!_ The sound of a warning on the computer screen interrupted her peace. Grumpily, she stood up, grabbing her helmet and left quickly to the address of the incident.

Crossing the streets one after another with her bike, she reached the spot where some alien was supposed to steal people. But there was no one except some pedestrians walking carefree and some others busy on their phones. She parked the bike in an alley and eyeing a fire escape she climbed up on the rooftop of a building. The sun had already set, and the first shadows started forming. Motioning with her hand, she changed into the suit J'onn made for her and knelt to observe the people. Many minutes passed, and everything looked normal. She wished there was someone in the Tower, guiding her through the comm. After ten more minutes, her patience gave out, and she decided to leave, thinking it was the computer's error. But before she turns around and climbs back down the building, she caught a glimpse of a man walking into a woman and then apologising. No one noticed anything except Alex, who saw the man, reaching for the woman's purse in her coat's pocket and walking away hurriedly. It took the woman a moment to realise that she had been stolen. Then she screamed, drawing the people's attention around her and yelled to catch the man. Alex followed him with her eyes, but when he mingled in a large group of people waiting in the traffic light to pass the street, she lost him. Running from rooftop to rooftop like an expert parkour athlete, she followed the crowd until they parted, each person going to their destination. Anger and desperation consumed her for being unable to trace the man. _What the fuck it's like he literally disappeared._ But her eyes immediately locked on a little girl that stepping on her toes, she tried to reach a man's phone in the back of his jeans pocket. _Shit, a shapeshifter!_

Using the Hand of the soldier with mastery, a grappling gun appeared on her hand. Aiming at the building opposite, she pulled the trigger, and the hook got stuck to the railing of the roof. Without hesitating a minute, she let her body swing in the air, landing right in front of the girl. She tried to run away, but Alex blocked her way quickly since she was light weighted and shorter.

"Give everything you stole back, and I'll let you walk away." Alex in a serious tone but the girl chuckled. A blue glow surrounded her body, and she started getting taller and grander, changing her form again. This time the alien chose its natural state instead of a human's. Alex's eyes widened as she lifted her head to face the creature before her. It was now three meters tall with a vast muscled body and a grey skin with scales. The head looked like a shark's but without the gills on the side. People around them started screaming and running away, as they watched the creature with their own eyes. A thick and raspy laugh sounded from the beast, watching Alex's stunning face and with a small effort, it punched the ground between them, making the pavement crack and a wave similar to a blast, hit Alex. Her mind acted quickly and created a shield with her Martian weapon, but it couldn't protect her much. Her body crashed violently against a wall, and she felt her rib cage move inside her. The pain followed was a familiar one. It was the same pain she felt every time she broke a rib. _Shit!_ But it didn't stop her from getting slowly on her feet. Hobbling and holding her rib with the one hand, she raised her other arm with difficulty, now having a laser pistol, and aiming at the alien, she fired but failed to cause any damage. Instead, it got more infuriated and lifting a car like it was a feather; it threw it to Alex. She was fast to react, and with a jump, she landed behind a van to cover herself. When her body abruptly crashed on the hard surface of the road, she whimpered, feeling completely numb. _You're not dying from this ugly thing. You're too strong!_

Groaning and swearing, she crawled slowly to the van, to help herself stand up but the alien was faster, and when she made to the truck, it was already standing beside her. It raised its fist aiming it right on her. Knowing there was no way she could escape this, she forced her weapon to turn to a shield again, aware that she might not survive the attack. Even if Alex was one of the bravest people in the world, she was scared of death. Because she still hadn't lived the way she wanted, she always hoped someday could marry a woman she loved and raise a child together. And after experiencing this, death could come, but until then, Alex would do anything possible to keep herself alive. But now that she was so close to it, fear conquered her. Shutting her eyes, waiting for the fatal hit, she thought of Sam and everything that hadn't told her. Everything concerning her feelings towards the woman. And now that was free to open up because Kelly broke up with her, maybe she wouldn't be able to tell her.

She waited and waited, but nothing happened. Close to the state of passing out, her heartbeat so fast, and everything was muffled. Her body jerked when she felt two strong arms embrace her from behind and turning around she saw J'onn talking to her about something she couldn't hear. Everything around her started spinning, but she caught a glimpse of Supergirl punching the alien so hard that it got buried many meters under the pavement.

"Kara." She whispered, and her vision went black.

Lena was leaning on the railing of the balcony with her coat on her shoulders without wearing the sleeves. Her work was finally over and surprisingly she had made it to finish it before midnight. Taking small sips, enjoying her scotch, she lifted her head to the sky, observing the clouds race by and the passing gleams of the moonlight between the scudding clouds crossing and passing like the gladness and the sorrow of her life. Slowly the buildings' lights around her turning off, as they were mainly offices and the cleaners finished their job at this time.

She swallowed the last sip of her drink and went back inside to gather her stuff and finally leave the office. _I desperately need a shower._ Reaching the lobby, she felt relieved watching no reporter waiting for her in the entrance of the building like the past days. After not leaving her office for two days, they had given up waiting for her. Her driver was waiting for her in the car. As soon as he saw her, he got immediately out of the car to open the door for her.

"Robert, you don't need to do this all the time. I can open the door by myself. Only when there are those bothersome reporters, I need your help." She said and held her coat's sides before sitting down.

"But this is my job, miss Luthor. Please accept it as a term of our contract." He said in a severe tone, closing the door and Lena smiled at the man's politeness. He started the engine and drove to her apartment. There wasn't much traffic, and most women in the pavement were with formal clothes and sneakers. It wasn't an odd image to Lena and other people in the city. Downtown was filled with the most significant banks and enterprises in the United States, have stringent dress codes for the workers. Most of the employees couldn't afford a car or a taxi, and they used public transport, having to walk many meters to reach their home. Wearing heels the whole day and then having to walk so much with already swollen feet, was a death sentence. After all, with the high traffic in the centre, it was wiser for them to use the subway. Lena was lucky enough to find an apartment and such a big one, only ten minutes away from the L-Corp building. Even when there was lots of traffic, it never took her more than forty minutes to reach the building.

The car stopped in the traffic light, and as Lena was glancing out of the window, she saw a familiar figure walking on the pavement. When the man walked to the pedestrian crossing right in front of her car, she became certain.

"Robert, pull up here. I'll walk to home; you're dismissed for tonight."

"But miss Luthor it's getting late it's not safe..."

"I'll be careful. Thank you for your concern. Good night." She stormed off out of the car without checking whether a vehicle was passing. Thankfully, it wasn't. She didn't even wait for the traffic light become green for the pedestrians; she crossed the street as fast as she could with her ten centimetres high heels. Keeping a reasonable distance from the man, far enough to avoid getting noticed, but without losing sight of him, she stalked him. After crossing some blocks, he took a turn in a dark alley. Lena followed him without the slightest hesitation. As soon as she entered the dark lane, all the sounds silenced. It was suspiciously too quiet, and the only sound heard was her heels, giving away her stealth. She leaned forward to pick up her heels, and as soon as her feet touched the cold and wet ground, she mentally hissed. But it didn't stop her, to continue. The freezing wind made her shudder, increasing the uneasiness she felt. She could see nothing around her except a streetlight far away, down the alley where the man was walking to. Cold sweat ran through her body as she could not get away from the feeling that there was someone else watching her. Lena kept looking over her shoulder, but she saw nothing but an abyss of darkness and shadows. Her feet hurt from the cold as the temperature had dropped to zero Celsius. When the man stopped under the streetlight, she quickly hid behind a trash container in the shadows. The man waited for a few minutes, and Lena rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to find some warmth. Then a black limo drove in the alley, thankfully from the other side of her, stopping right in front of the man. _It can't be..._

William pulled the door's handle and opened it to get inside. Lena remained behind the dumpster since the car's lights were turned towards her and would give her away immediately. But as the minutes passed, Lena heard the engine turning off and the sound of two doors closing. She slowly leaned forward and only saw the driver resting his weight on the side of the black limo, lighting a cigarette. Looking around her, she saw no one else. The driver looked at her direction while a puff of smoke exited his lips, and even though Lena knew there was no chance he could see her, she immediately pulled her head back. Slowly, she took the phone out of her pocket. Another slam of the door was heard and thinking it was William; she made sure the flash of the camera was turned off to take some photos of him. But when she leaned forward again, there was no one, and the driver was still smoking carefree. She waited with the phone in her hands, removing the auto-lock to be ready. When William exited Lex's limo, she zoomed in and made sure to take some good photos of the moment, as long as the license plate. The driver entered the car again and started the engine making Lena pull back hastily to hide. The vehicle left the alley in reverse, and William began walking in the opposite direction. When he passed beside Lena, she curled up, making herself the smallest possible.

After making sure he was gone, she slowly stood up at sixes and sevens. She mechanically started walking to the main street again but was stopped dead in her tracks with a very startling way. The click of a gun's cock sounded behind her and slowly turning around with her arms raised, she caught a gleam of a revolver pointed at her. Then a woman took a step closer, finally revealing her face under the dim light of the street and Lena's heart skipped a beat. They were precisely the same with the only difference that the woman had a darker complexion. Her make up was bolder and the bloody glossy on her lips made her look like she had just sucked someone's life out of their neck. Her black coat was buttoned up, only leaving her neck and face exposed. The woman was amused as she observed Lena's stupefied face.

"How is this possible?" Lena asked in a mix of astonishment and fear.

"Oh, it doesn't matter, you're not going to need this information to the place I'll send you."

"Who are you? Did Lex create you?" The woman's lips curved in an insolent smile.

"Lex? No, no, no. I'm Lena Luthor. I'm you but a little more..." She unbuttoned her coat and showed the glowing green stone in the middle of her chest. "Heartless." The woman said teasingly with a wanton smile. Lena was gazing at her with a look of the utmost intensity, her eyebrows almost meeting with the fixed concentration of her look. Kara's words immediately came in her mind about her Metallo version from the fifth dimension. That was the dark Lena talked about and knowing herself better than anyone; she was afraid of the woman before her because Lena had a dark part which seemed that had dominated any other virtue in this woman.

"What do you want from me?" Lena asked, and her voice broke a little and tears threatened to escape her glossy eyes.

"Oh, me? To replace you, of course. What's the point of having two Lenas in this world? One is more than enough." The woman said sarcastically. Lena felt her end coming closer. Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast. Watching the woman placing her finger on the trigger, she felt like panicking. Suddenly she remembered William's appearance, which meant Kara had returned too. With the corner of her eyes, she checked the watch, on her raised wrist, that Kara had given her. _One push and I come, two and I stay away._ Before her double pull the trigger, Lena raised the clock face and pushed the button with the Supergirl's emblem. But it was too late, and even if Kara possessed the ability of super speed, there was no way she could reach her. Lena's doppelganger fired with the revolver. Lena felt the fright. Felt the flash. Felt the buzz. And then everything went white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me :)


	14. Sleeping Beauty Part 1.

Kara's journal

**11/06**

I flew to the place Lena's emitter indicated, breaking the sound barrier. I landed in a dark alley seeing no one around but a body fallen in the ground covered by the shadows. The iron smell of blood overflowed my senses, causing me shivers and goosebumps. Approaching quickly and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was able to recognise the person lying unconsciously on the ground. A sudden pang on my chest made every inch of my body clench. I could almost hear the beating of my own heart, and the blood surging through my temples sounded like blows from a hammer.

"No, Lena?!" My voice barely coming out loudly as I shook her abruptly in a desperate attempt to wake her up. But nothing. Her body lied there lip, barely hearing a pulse on her veins. The pool of blood was growing, and I tried to spot its source. Lena's body was wet in a mix of dirty muddy water from the alley's puddles and blood. Thick, dark, dense blood. My breath hitched when I saw blood running unstoppably from a hole on the side of her skull, her nose and mouth too. I immediately pressed where the bullet went in trying to stop something, but most of the blood was dripping from the inside.

Without losing more time, I lifted her body in a bridal position and flew as fast as I could to her hospital, thinking they would treat her better there. I didn't even know if they accepted emergencies that night and I didn't care. People around me jumped up as I appeared out of sudden in the hospital's lobby.

"PLEASE CALL A DOCTOR!" I screamed, and the nurse in the reception immediately called a team of doctors. I laid Lena's body gently on the stretcher, and the nurses pushed it quickly to the emergency room. Without a second thought, I followed them, ignoring the people around me that looked in awe and fear at the same time. Turning my head back for a moment, I caught a glimpse of the pool of blood that had formed on the place I was standing and looking down at my body; I noticed my suit was now in a dark purple shade, almost looking like black, drenched with Lena's blood. Never in my entire life, I had seen so much blood. It looked more like a Tarantino's scene than reality.

The doctors ran towards the stretcher as the nurses covered the wound with gauges and pushed, trying to stop the bleeding. They injected her some drugs and inserted in her arm a thick needle, connected with an intravenous drip, large-bore central IV catheter as they called it. One of the doctors, the youngest that was probably an intern, checked her vitals and said to the others:

"G.C.S 3. Pupils fixed and dilated, B.P. 183/112, pulse ox 78 per cent."

"Prepare her for head C.T. and give her atropine." Another doctor said.

"Name?" One of them asked surprising me. Seriously they had no idea to whom they worked for?!

"Lena Luthor," I said an everyone's head turned to look at me in a mix of shock and anxiety. Then the doctor checked me from top to bottom as now realising, Supergirl was standing there with them. Suddenly Lena's body stiffened and jerked and I supposed she was having a seizure. The nurses immediately turned her on the side and tried to hold her still.

"10 milligrams of diazepam." A doctor gave an order to the younger one. The seizure immediately stopped.

"Prepare the O.R. We need to reduce the ICP." Another doctor addressed to a nurse that nodded and left hurriedly. "Insert 70 of mannitol and hypertonic saline."

"She won't make it to the O.R."

"Shit we need to open her here. Prepare her for craniotomy I have to drain the excess cerebrospinal fluid." The woman said to the nurses who ran and came back in seconds with a razor and a bottle of Betadine Surgical Scrub. They shaved Lena's hair above and behind the pinna of her ear and the doctor, having worn a surgical gown and new pair of gloves, grabbed the scalpel and made a curvilinear incision. Then she stabilised the forceps so that the skin stays pulled back and reveal the head's interior. Immediately a logical amount of blood ran, and the doctor used the haemostasis tool to stop the bleeding. As I eyed the bright red of the internal of her head, I felt my stomach turn, but I tried to ignore it and stay by her side even if she didn't know I was right there. The doctor used the elevated the periosteum to reveal the skull and asked for the surgical drill. It was too much for me to take, so I turned my head elsewhere and closed my eyes, hearing the rumble as it bore into the skull bone. After some minutes, I was still looking away, cold sweated, battling not to excrete my insides out, I heard the doctor say to a nurse:

"Pass me the shunt." I turned to look this time knowing this was the most critical part, but when a nurse gazed me, her eyes widened as she had just realised I was still there.

"Supergirl, get out of here!" She shrieked and walked upon me. I unconsciously took some steps back, and the woman closed the curtain abruptly right in front of my face. Of course, she didn't know I could still watch, but I respected her will and since my stomach wasn't at its best. Walking to the lobby, I felt lost. Everyone turned to look at me but watching me in this state they said nothing. A young man squeezed my shoulder briefly when he passed beside me as a sign of support which I found amazingly sweet. I sat wholly baffled on a chair, mentally thanking that no one came to talk to me. Then I heard J'onn calling me through the comm which I answered mechanically.

"Supergirl, Alex is fine. She broke two of her ribs, but she will be fine. She's already conscious, you can come and see her as soon as you can." He said, but my mind couldn't focus on his words. Of course, I was more than happy to know my sister was safe, but how could I feel any cheerfulness when Lena was fighting for her life. How could they shoot the smartest and most delicate person in the world? How could people hate her so much? Had they known what I know… Had they seen that side she hides from anyone, they would build a statue for her instead of trying to murder her. It couldn't be Lex, could it? But it didn't matter. The only thing I cared about was her health.

After that, I would end whoever brought her to this state. Yes, I would murder her. She once killed Lex for me, and I am willing to kill the person who did this for her. J'onn got worried after not receiving a response and asked: "Supergirl, is everything okay?" I felt a knot in my throat and tears threatening to run. No, everything was far from okay, and I was too devastated to pretend I was okay. All of this was my fault—only mine. If I hadn't stayed on the stupid Dublin with William, nothing of this would have happened to her.

"Lena is in the hospital." I heard J'onn's breath hitch, and under better circumstances, I would get surprised that he cared that much for Lena.

"What happened? I'm coming there, where is she?" I gave him the address of the hospital, and in a minute, he was passing the entrance. He saw me sitting on an empty row of chairs since everyone was too kind to leave me alone with my pain. A group of cleaners were mopping Lena's blood on the floor, which he eyed as he passed beside them and approached me. "Supergirl." He nodded in a formal tone to not move any suspicions. His eyes landed on my drenched from blood suit and then back to the cleaners on the entrance, realising it was Lena's blood. It must have been the first time I saw him wearing such an astonished look on his face. Without saying anything else, he took a seat beside me with his body, half turned towards me, waiting for any response. I took my time, trying to push away that annoying knot in my throat that made my voice trembling and weak. When I felt sure confident, I decided to speak.

"I followed the signal from the watch I gave her in case there was an emergency, and when I got there, it was too late. She was laying in the ground almost lifeless with a bullet in her head. I…" I chocked in tears and leaned forward to hide my face from the people around me. J'onn drew circles with his hand on my back, in an attempt to comfort me. "I haven't seen so much blood in my life J'onn. And the doctors opened her scalp right there; she was having a seizure, her brain is swollen from what I understood and I…" I cried again and sobbed. My body accompanied my sorrow with spasms and shivers.

"Thupergirl!" A high pitched voice of a kid sounded out of sudden, and I immediately raised my head. I was always excited when people showed their support and gratitude to me, but they couldn't have picked a worse moment, as it was one of the lousiest time of my life. Before I could even realise where the voice came from, I felt two small hands wrapping around me tightly and a man jogging towards us.

"Alice, come here! Let Supergirl alone!" The man called the child, as he approached quickly to take the kid out of my arms, but I waved at him that it was okay, stopping him from doing so. The girl took a step back, and I put all my mental effort to avoid showing any hint of shock. She lacked any hair and a nasal cannula was placed on her little nose, connected with an oxygen concentrator that had wheels to carry it with her. But despite her misfortune, the girl looked utterly excited for meeting me, and I tried to put on my widest smile just for her. But as her eyes locked on mine, her smile faltered immediately.

"Thupergirl why are you thad?" She asked with a sweet lisp and a frown. With her small hands, she tried to wipe my tears away, melting my heart and shattering it into pieces. I thought a lot about what answer to give her. I didn't want to lie to her. It was pointless knowing the kids were smart and could tell if someone was lying, so instead I decided to admit the truth.

"Because my friend is sick and I'm worried," I answered and smiled while tears threatened to slide again.

"Don't worry. The will be fine. Look at me. My dad and doctorth thay I'm thick too, but I'm fine!" She said, smiling, and I chuckled in a mix of sadness and joy to the girl's innocence. I pulled the kid in a hug and gave a soft kiss to her forehead. Trying to contain me from breaking down right there, I took a deep breath and shut my thoughts down. As J'onn sensed it, he stroked my back again. Alice stepped back slowly and gave me a broad smile revealing her two upper front missing teeth. I tried not to squeeze her cheeks, as her cutenesses overflowed me, but I was too scared to not abstract by mistake her cannula.

"Thank you. I already feel better." I said with a grin, and immediately the girl's smile grew broader, forming two dimples on each side of her cheek. Lena's dimples when she smiled genuinely came in my mind. Before the girl notice my downfall again, I asked quickly, trying to keep my mind busy: "How old are you, Alice?"

"I'm thikth!" She sputtered, one droplet landing in my eye, making me grimace. I chuckled again and this time her father and J'onn too.

"Wow! You're a grown-up woman! What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I want to be like you! A thuperhero!"

"Okay, promise me that when I become old and powerless, if I am in danger, you will come and save me?" I asked and extended my finger.

"Of courthe I will thave you Thupergirl!" The girl exclaimed with her cute lisp and tangled our pinky fingers as a promise. I immediately pulled her in another hug, and as I raised my eyes, I saw her dad crying in muffled sobs and wiping his tears quickly so that his daughter doesn't notice him breaking down. I shut my eyes close firmly, and my forehead creased as I gave an effort to drown my emotions.

"Alice, come on, let's leave Supergirl alone." Her father said and extended his hand which the girl held promptly.

"Bye, Thupergirl!" The girl said and leaned forward to place a kiss on my moist cheek.

"Bye, Alice. Remember." I said, waving my pinky finger in the air and the girl grinned broadly. As soon as they left, I released all the emotions I suppressed and leaned to J'onn, who opened his arms and pulled me in a hug. My body jerked violently as loud sobs escaped my lips. He tried to comfort me, but nothing on could. This pain was far worse than when I was forced to abandon Krypton.

"Kara, I know you're in pain right now, I can feel everything, but please you need to put yourself together and go home to change. You can cry as much as you want but as Kara, not as Supergirl. You saw the girl before; she was asking why you were crying. You're a symbol of hope. Imagine how vulnerable it makes people watching you in this state. They feel their insurance is gone. I know it is too much to ask you, but please try to grieve as Kara, not as Supergirl." He whispered, making sure no one could hear us. He was right. The reason Supergirl existed was to inspire hope. To be trusted by humans, I had to be perfect and never show any weakness. Even if I was a person too, I had to put my emotions aside. Looking around me, I noticed everyone's attention was on me. Without waiting any longer, I stood up and walked to the exit. Before leaving, I turned to J'onn and said:

"Please if anything new happens, contact me immediately!" He nodded left immediately. I wanted to go to Alex and tell her everything but I couldn't as a Supergirl. So I flew back to my apartment, and after showering during a minute, I quickly changed to my everyday clothes and wore my glasses. Then I flew again to the hospital. Alex was inserted and landed on the helipad of it. I called the elevator, and when the doors opened and entered in, I fixed my clothes, glasses and hair looking as presentable as I could and not as I had just flown with more than a Mach speed. I walked to the nurse in the lobby, and when I asked about my sister's room, she looked at me bewildered since I walked in from inside the hospital instead of the entrance. But she just said the room's number and let me pass without any questions. I walked to the Orthopaedics department and entered Alex's room. When I opened the door, I saw Sam sticking her tongue down Alex's throat. My sister moaned, and I was sure it wasn't because of her injuries. I dried cough to catch their attention, staring the floor and scratching the back of my neck awkwardly. Sam immediately pushed back, and both of them looked at me, flushed and shocked. Even if I craved to scold my sister for cheating on Kelly, I felt too numb and exhausted, so I stayed quiet. They tried to apologise and explain themselves, but I cut them off abruptly. Approaching my sister, I reached for a hug carefully, not to hurt her more and I announced the news about Lena. Sam almost passed out, and even Alex looked quite upset.

"Please don't misunderstand me for not showing enthusiasm for well-being but I'm really devastated about Lena, and I know you hate her and you don't understand but…"

"No, I don't hate her. I just don't trust her." Alex cut me in while a nurse entered bringing Sam a cup of water and a blood pressure monitor. The woman was white and sweated. Alex tried to stand up, but the doctor came in and forced her to lie down and follow their orders strictly.

"No, no, no. I'm fine. Please leave me alone. I need to go to the hospital." Sam said, getting up slowly.

"But you're already in the hospital ma'am." The nurse answered, but Sam wasn't even listening to the woman. She reached for her car keys in her bag but as soon as I glanced them, I stepped forward, preventing her from leaving.

"You're not in a state of driving. At least let me take you there." I insisted, and after thinking about it for a moment, she agreed.

"Wait! I'm coming with you." Alex tried to stand up again, even if the doctor and the nurse tried to lie her down again.

"No, you stay here! I don't need to be worried about you too!" Sam retorted, and Alex obeyed immediately. I was confused and even shocked because, knowing my sister, she would resist until doing what she wanted. "Let's go!" Sam yelled at my face, taking me out of my thoughts abruptly. I almost jumped on my feet at her sudden rise of voice. I took a glimpse of Alex who shrugged, and I quickly exited the room, following Sam, who almost jogged to the exit.

After driving in pure silence, we reached Lena's hospital, and I parked the car on the seats for patients. We entered the building, and I saw J'onn sitting where I left him, with his arms crossed and a sad, thoughtful look on his face.

"Any news?" I asked as we got closer. Sam greeted J'onn with a brief hug and looked at him expectantly. But to our disappointment, he just shook his head negatively. Then I noticed they had seen only Supergirl with Lena, so I walked to the woman sitting on the desk and informed her that we were there for Lena Luthor. The woman said she was still in surgery and had a very severe injury and that the doctors would soon inform us of her state. I joined back the others and sat there quietly.

Four hours had passed, and it was past four in the morning now. Neither of us was able to doze off despite our exhaustion. Every time I tried to close my eyes, Lena's image covered up in blood came in my mind. J'onn had left an hour before since there was Atm robbery and he offered to handle it with himself. How irresponsible I was for letting him all this time, fighting crime alone. Alex almost killed herself because of me. A second later and that gigantic thing would have ended her life. But I was too late for Lena, and now I had to pay the price. Oh Rao, how badly I wished, I was the one punished for my actions instead of my loved ones.

"Do you love her?" Sam asked out of sudden, catching me by surprise. I thought about the question twice before I speak and something in the tone she said it, made me think it had a double meaning. Since I wasn't sure whether Lena had told her something, I simply answered:

"With all my heart. Lena is my best friend." Sam turned to look at me this time, trying to see something in my eyes that I wasn't sure of.

"She loves you back, Kara." She said, but I didn't dare to ask her what she meant because a part of me knew, and another part of me was too scared to admit it. Yes, I was a coward, and this conflict inside me tore me apart the entire time. A part of me, madly in love with my best friend, aching, for those feelings to be reciprocated. So much that it caused me the fear of rejection, the fear that if I got my hopes too high, I would get hurt for once again. Because there was a chance, Lena was in love with me but only platonically. I feared that there was no chance, Lena fucking Luthor would want me, Kara Zor-El.

On the other hand, another part of me was afraid of liking women generally. And I didn't know what caused that fear since I had grown up on a planet where everyone considered marriage amongst the same gender as usual. "She even joined the super friends' squad to save you from William." Sam's words dragged me out of my thoughts immediately. My eyes got wide firstly because I had no idea she joined our group and secondly because she wanted to save me from William. Why would she think he threatened me in the first place? I was about to ask her more, but an unfamiliar voice forced me to raise my eyes and watch a doctor standing before us. We both immediately stood up simultaneously and waited for the announcement.

"Hello, I'm Dr Vandenberg, chief of Neurology department in the hospital. Are you miss Luthor's relatives?" She asked, extending her delicate hand, and we shook it promptly. She was still wearing her scrub hat, which made it clear she was performing the surgery. The woman was excessively pretty, possessing a pair of very light brown eyes, almost yellow in the light, voluptuous lips and cheekbones so high that could cut someone's finger if they touched them.

"We're her best friends," Sam answered.

"Are there any relatives or family that we can contact?"

"Only her brother, Lex Luthor who is missing and they don't have the best relationship. Is there anything we can do?" I asked fearfully. The woman's face was neutral but sympathetic at the same time.

"Miss Luthor has a severe injury. We managed to reduce the intracranial pressure but unfortunately as the bullet penetrated the skull, it scattered in pieces. We only removed the injured tissue because it is perilous to remove the debris. It's a miracle she's still breathing considering the velocity and weight of the bullet. We need a close person to decide for her." I had to sit down to avoid crashing on the floor. Dizziness was all I felt. The doctor looked at me worriedly so did Sam, but I said I was fine and asked her to go on.

"What are the options?" Sam asked nervously fidgeting her fingers.

"You either sign up the admission paper and accepting the responsibility for whatever it happens during the surgery or we close the wound and wait until the septicaemia begin. You could also avoid the last option and donate her organs instantly. She has signed up as an organ donor anyway." Sam glanced at me with big eyes shaking her head. Even if she tried to collect herself and be strong, it was impossible. So I turned to the doctor and told her that we needed some time to discuss it. She said to take as much time as we needed and once ready, to ask an application from the reception. Sam sat beside me, looking as lost as I did.

"I can't believe it." She whispered with her eyes fixed on the ground. Just on time, J'onn passed the entrance again, walking hurriedly towards us.

"What happened?" He asked, and we informed him without missing any important detail.

"And what are you going to do?"

"Is that even a question? She will have the surgery!" Sam jumped up, looking at me for confirmation, but I didn't know what to say. Except for dying in the cold operating table, Lena could survive but with some significant brain damage. And knowing her, she would prefer to die than being incapable of controlling her body or thinking again. She would lose the only feature on herself she was the proudest of, she suffers while we would be able to have her in our lives still even just physically.

"I don't think that's what Lena would want," I said quietly and observed Sam's features change immediately, looking more exasperated than I had ever seen her.

"You're kidding me. Right?" She said infuriated.

"Think about it, Sam! She wouldn't want to spend the rest of her years in a wheelchair, not being able to move or talk, trapped in a body unable to control!" I yelled, waking some people around us who looked at me annoyingly.

"And how do you know she will end up like that? Why are you so sure?"

"Didn't you hear the doctor? The bullet is in pieces in her brain! It's a miracle she's still alive!" Sam was now flushed with rage. She took a moment, trying to calm down before speaking again.

"And what do you want us to do? Donate her organs? Because that's something, you will sign up, not me. I'm not taking the responsibility of her death, that's on your hands." I opened my mouth to speak, but J'onn stepped between us and yelled to stop with his thick voice, earning some complaints from the people around us. The receptionist raised her eyes towards us in a concerning way, but I gave her a reassuring smile that I was sure she didn't buy. I turned my attention again to Sam and then J'onn who waited for me to say something. But nothing came out of my mouth, and they both sat back down, next to me. We stayed silent for a moment, and my head was hurting like hell. Even if I had superpowers, in moments with emotional pressure, I got migraines too. Rarely and quickly cured, but I still got them.

"Wait!" I shrieked as an idea came to my mind. "Harun-El serum!" I exclaimed and stood up quickly.

"Kara, there were some major side effects! And we don't know the exact dose she can take." J'onn answered.

"She must have a few injections hidden in her vault. We're talking about Lena. And as for the side effects, she has developed an anti-serum. J'onn come on we did the same with James!"

"Kara, what if this doesn't work? What if she gets worse or even be fatal?" Sam asked thoughtfully. "And what do you propose? To let her have a surgery that there are more chances of dying or getting brain damage than trying our luck with a very potent treatment?" She stared me with furrowed eyebrows, having an internal battle with herself.

"Okay fine. But if something happens to her, I'll never forgive you." Sam addressed me, but I was convinced it would work, so I didn't mind or felt concerned.

"How are we going to get access to her vault?" J'onn asked. It was an excellent question which I was incapable of answering. I mean, of course, I could open it with a push of my pinky finger or blow it, but when Lena would wake up, she would feel violated and she would have every right. It wasn't like when I shamelessly asked James to break in, now it was a matter of life or death, but I still wanted to respect her personal space.

"Sam, you've spent way more time than me down there. Do you know if there's any way to open it without breaking in?"

"I have no idea, but we can get a try, I guess." Without losing any time, we headed to the vault in Lena's lab. J'onn insisted on coming with us, but I told him to take some rest because we would need him to inject the serum to Lena. He groaned when he understood what I was asking him to do and left to his home to change clothes and take a shower.

This time Sam drove, and the street had started getting busy with the early public transport drives and a few cars of people getting to their work. The sky ahead of us was in shades of orange and yellow since only a few minutes remained until the sunrise. I felt exhausted, mostly emotionally, and I bet Sam even more than me since she was a human. But it was admirable how good she was in hiding it. We saw the L-Corp from afar, standing out with the vast L sign on the upper floors. When I had first seen it, I was like, this is too much even for the Luthor name. But when I got to know her better, I realised it was more of a statement that the L didn't stand for Luthor. She couldn't change the company's name entirely, the investors would be displeased and neither she could still run LuthorCorp after dealing with the shame of having a psychotic brother. So that L stood more for Lena than Luthor. Even if no one had realised it, even if everyone thought it was a desperate attempt to show to people, the ownership had changed. But I knew better.

"Shit, I'll have to replace Lena again," Sam said lowly mostly to herself.

"Oh Rao, and I'll have to go to CatCo. Andrea is going to be mad. I only told her that I would be gone for two days, and on Monday, I would be back. Damn… Oh, and I have to buy a new phone too!" I said, letting my head to rest on the window.

"Don't you know? Andrea was forced to sell CatCo back to Cat Grant."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah. In which world do you live in, Kara?"

"I was in Dublin with William, and I only returned yesterday."

"Oh… I see." Sam said, but I had a feeling she already knew that information. Oh, Rao, miss Grant would be so mad. I had missed so much stuff. First, Lena had joined the team to save me from William, and now Cat Grant was my boss again? Like getting used to the new world wasn't already difficult. Sam took a turn and entered the building's parking lot. We got in the lobby to switch elevators, and we headed to the science's department. There, we walked to Lena's private lab, which we opened with the card Lena had provided us in case we needed something while she was working. A hint of nostalgia conquered me, remembering the last time I was in this lab with Lena, but I quickly brushed it off. It wasn't now the right time to become emotional. Heading to the vault's entrance, I tried to look inside, but the thick door and walls were coated with lead. There was only a small touch screen on the side with a keyboard. What surprised me was that it only required a password. Not blood sample, or face recognition, or any insurance that Lena was the person trying to open it. I didn't even expect to find a keyboard. According to Win, when James had been there, he had found no keypads or locks or internal mechanisms. Just thick acetylene-resistant cast iron, which I saw but this time a keyboard was added. How convenient!

"I thought Lena had said it was Lex's vault. I expected more security than just a passcode."

"She probably changed the security."

"But why? I mean it's easier to break in that way."

"Well, considering her crazy family, she probably thought a password was safer than her blood. Lillian or Lex could easily create a clone of her just to enter her vault." Sam shrugged and thinking about it; I saw her point. Indeed they could create Lena's clone just to open her vault. We started writing numbers and possible words related to Lena, but all our tries were rejected, and we ended up locking the system. We sat down on the floor, waiting thirty minutes to pass until the system let us try again.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Sam asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence between us.

"I'm confident it will. I've seen it working with James."

"Let's hope you're right," Sam answered, and we sat there for a couple of minutes more until a beep sound came from the device and we stood up again to try. Everything we typed was wrong, and I was losing my patience. Of course, Lena would have the most unpredictable password to her vault.

"Sam maybe it has nothing to do with her. We're losing our time. I'll break into it." I said and raised my fist, but as Sam thought of something, her hand landed on my wrist, preventing me from acting my will.

"Wait! Type perfer et obdura." I did, but the screen denied our access again. "Damn, that's the first words of her favourite Latin quote," Sam said frustratingly.

"Sam, this is pointless. Lena would have never put something obvious as a passcode." I said, but Sam didn't even listen. Her brows were furrowed, creating a wrinkle in the middle of them and her fingers touched her lips as she was in deep thoughts.

"What if it's only numbers?" She raised her eyes and threw me a very intense look for a reason I didn't know. Then without talking, she turned to the touch screen and typed a date. It was the last try before the system locking again, this time for Rao's know how much time. A beep sound was heard, accompanied by a green box that "ACCESS ACCEPTED" was written in white colour. Then the mechanism of unlocking sounded, and the iron doors opened slowly. We came across with many container boxes keeping inside Rao knows what.

"Sam, considering this was once Lex's vault, I think I should have better wait outside. I can sense the kryptonite even if it's locked in a container of lead."

"Okay, I'll search quickly," Sam said, and I stepped outside, watching her opening as fast as she could the containers.

"I found it!" She exclaimed after a while and picked a black suitcase. We placed it on a desk to confirm it was the serum.

"I hope the doses are right."

"They better are!" Sam said, looking at me sternly. We headed back to the hospital, and I called J'onn at the same time. He came a few minutes after we arrived. I headed to the nurse's desk on the visitor's lounge and asked her where Lena's room was, but the woman said, she was in intensive care, and I needed to fill an admission that would take up to two hours to be accepted. Thanking her, I walked back and informed the others.

"We don't have two hours. Lena might get blood poisoning from time to time!" Sam whispered angrily trying not to draw people's attention.

"I know. J'onn you need to change to a doctor and enter Lena's room! Take this." I said lowly and pulled the syringe with the black liquid out of my crossbody bag. Sam quickly came to hug me to cover it from people's sight, and J'onn grabbed it quickly and put it into the inner pocket of his jacket. Then he walked into the restroom and came out in Dr Vandenberg's form. Sam's lips curved into a sarcastic smile and winked at him, but J'onn just shook his head, trying to act normal. He walked past the nurse's desk carelessly, and that's the last time I saw him for the next fifteen minutes that felt like an eternity.

When he came back and exited the restroom in his real form again he sat beside us and before he could speak, a doctor ran to the nurse in the front desk and called her as another woman came to replace her. The other woman was dressed in formal clothes, and I assumed she didn't belong to the medical staff. If I wasn't so upset maybe I would have wondered why a nurse was in the reception instead of treating people. Perhaps it was Lena's policy to provide more accurate information to the people who called with an emergency. Who knows…

"I inserted the serum in her intravenous feed, and after a while, I extracted the gauze and saw the wound healing. Then I left quickly because the doctors were coming for a check-up."

"Did she wake up?" I asked, hoping to receive a positive answer but J'onn shook his head negatively to my disappointment. Then out of sudden, I saw Dr Vandenberg approaching us at a fast pace.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, but there was a sudden change in miss's Luthor state. Her wound miraculously healed. We are currently running some blood tests to understand how it happened, but she seems completely healthy." The doctor said formally, but I could see the disbelief and worry in her face.

"Can we see her?" Sam asked.

"Unfortunately not until we make sure she's completely out of danger. We will let you know." The woman said, and after thanking her, she left hurriedly. We stared at each other with a conspiring look and smiled. I tried not to stand on my feet and jump happily. Lena was safe; I would be able to hug her and touch her and talk to her! My mind couldn't even conceive it. It seemed like a dream. Or rather, the whole night was a nightmare, and now I was waking up.

"Kara, remember except enthusiastic you must mostly look confused." J'onn reminded me, but I didn't care at this point.

"Oh god, I can't believe it. Oh, I'm so relieved. You were right after all about the serum; I have to admit this." Sam said and squeezed me in a hug. I felt her arm detaching from my back and raising it to check her watch on her wrist. "Oh shit, it's almost eight. I need to get to L-Corp!" Sam said and quickly pulled back, to stand up.

"Rao! I can't miss another day at work. Miss Grant will fire me for sure if she hasn't already!" I said, looking at J'onn.

"It's okay you can go. I'll stay here." He said, and I sighed in relief.

"Thank you," I answered at the same time with Sam, and we stared at each other, chuckling. We couldn't help but smile the whole time, and J'onn seemed genuinely happy to even if he wasn't that close with Lena. We parted that instant moment and knowing I was already too late, I flew to CatCo. Entering the elevator, I saw a poor girl, almost shaking, holding Cat's coffee, and I saw myself immediately in her. She was like a fish out of water, probably new to her job and still uncomfortable with Cat's manners. A deja vu of the day I met Nia came into my mind. I was looking forward to seeing her again. Every day that passed, I hoped she was okay.

The elevator's doors opened, and without a second thought, I walked to miss Grant's office. Since the girl had literally bolted out from the elevator, she was already in the office. Cat took a sip of the coffee and immediately dropped it to the bin scolding the girl for buying it from the Beanery instead of the Noonan's. When she threatened the girl to fire her, the poor thing left running with tears and sobs. I sulked as I sympathised with her, but when I took a step inside, my face brightened up immediately. Before I could say something, Cat raised her eyes from her documents and fixed them on me. Checking me from top to bottom, she raised her eyebrow, probably approving my tight, formal, white and sleeveless dress.

"Kerah! You decided to show up! And it looks like you slept with a hanger in your mouth." Cat said in a sarcastic tone, but I was too happy for seeing her again that I loved even the way she mistakenly pronounced my name. I knew she did on purpose, and that's why I loved it even more. Yeah, call me a masochist, but I missed that woman like crazy. Working for Andrea Rojas was unbearable. Even if Cat was more mean with her employees, she recognised their worth even if she barely knew their names. She knew the purpose of this magazine and never used it as a way to earn more money. Because it was hers after all. Cat built it from zero.

"Miss Grant! I'm so happy to see you!" I shrieked and opened my arms approaching to embrace her, but she immediately grimaced in a mix of terror and disgust and circled her office to sit on her chair, having the desk as a barrier between us.

"Your… happiness to see me is touching, but I can't keep you here if you decide to disappear whenever you want, even if you have your…side job."

"I'm so sorry miss Grant, I… It won't happen again, I swear! And what other side jobs you're talking about?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows, and miss Grant looked at me sternly through her glasses.

"Wearing your cape, saving people." She said, rolling her eyes as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Miss Grant I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Save it. I've known you're Supergirl since day one. Even if I have to confess, you tricked me that day you appeared twice. How did you do it by the way? Was it a projector or you hired an alien to do the job?" I opened my mouth completely shocked to deny everything, but she jumped up from her chair again, raising her index finger, approaching me as she had just figured out something. "Did you lose your powers again? That's why you were gone? That's why Supergirl these days didn't sign autographs or took photos with people! That thing was your replacement!" Cat said mostly to herself and leaned back against her desk looking at the ground thoughtfully like she had discovered something significant. I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off again. "No, I don't care actually. The point is, Kerah if you can't balance your two jobs I'll make your life easier and fire you. Now, go, I need to fix everything, that nouveau riche chippy ruined here." She said, taking some papers and fixing her glasses. I was so stunned that I didn't even know how to respond. Most of all, I wanted to know how she figured it out. I opened my mouth again to speak but taking off her glasses, she stood on her feet and took a step closer at me with the meanest look I had ever witnessed her. "Chop, Chop." Cat said slowly, and I gulped down. Without a second thought, I returned to my desk. I was starring blankly at the black screen on my computer, trying to realise what had just happened.

"Kara! I was looking for you!" William's voice forced me out of my thoughts.

"William, good morning! How are you?" I said wearing a fake smile to avoid the interrogation about why I was upset. After returning from Dublin, we hadn't spoken about everything that happened. The truth was, I didn't feel ready to be in a relationship with him despite what happened the night I left Lena's place. He was an insanely gentle guy, and even though I saw he was hurt, he said it was okay, and we could take this as slow as I wanted or just remain friends. He said he would do anything to keep me in his life, and if what happened on Saturday night was a one-time thing, he would swallow his emotions and be there for me in a friendly way. My heart literally melted at his kindness, and I told him the truth that I needed some time to think about everything. So we spent the rest of the days in Dublin as two dear friends. We even met with Lena's friend, and I couldn't help but notice some stares he exchanged with Nessa. But then I thought I was getting delusional because he had confessed his feelings towards me and looked very honest. I mean he should probably get an Oscar if what he said was a lie.

"I just got fired by Cat Grant because I wasn't granted with a leave of absence." He growled.

"What? Didn't you tell her about the article Andrea wanted you to write?"

"I did, but that cold-blooded bitch didn't care."

"William, I'm so sorry, I'll talk to her and convince her."

"Yeah, it seems that she likes you obviously. I mean we both made the same mistake and only I got fired." He said aggravated but immediately realising his mistake, he leaned forward, looking at the ground, regretting it. To be honest with me, I felt deeply hurt because it wasn't even my fault, but I saw his point, and he was also upset, so blaming for taking his anger out on me would be really insensitive. "Kara, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just angry and don't know what I say. Please forgive me and excuse me but I don't feel like I can be around you or anyone at this time." He said and picked the wooden box with his desk belongings.

"William, wait!" I jumped up in my seat, but he was already out of the room. I immediately circled my desk and walked to Cat's office. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the glass door, and she waved at me to get in, while speaking on the phone.

"Kerah they're asking you on the phone which is very unprofessional. What happened to your cell phone?" Miss Grant said and extending her arm with the phone, she shook it impatiently as a sign for me to hurry up.

"Hello?" I said, full of curiosity.

"Kara, meet me in the hospital now!" Sam's anxious voice sounded from the phone.

"Sam?"

"Kara, I don't have time to explain, just be there!" She said, and hung up. Cat fixed her eyes on me through her glasses.

"Go to your duty, and when you come back, we need to talk."

"But…"

"Go! The world needs you, Supergirl." She whispered the name so that no one would hear. I thanked her multiple times before exiting her office. Entering the elevator, I cursed inwardly when a colleague got inside with me. Spending three entire minutes to reach the ground floor, I walked out of the building and walked to an alley. Making sure no one watched, I flew to the hospital. Entering inside, I saw J'onn reading a magazine in the same place was before. His brows wrinkled when he saw me again, wearing a questionary look on his face.

"Did she wake up?" I asked.

"No, but we will soon be able to visit her. They're waiting for the tests' results to come out. Shouldn't you be in CatCo?"

"Yes but Sam called to miss Grant's office, demanding to speak with me and she said to meet her here. She sounded upset."

"Okay, let's wait outside," J'onn said with a troubled look. We waited for some minutes when Sam's car braced abruptly a few meters away from us, causing the tires to shriek. Without caring to fix the car's position, she jumped out of the car and almost ran toward us.

"What happened?" She leaned forward out of breath, and I had to hold her arms to keep her stabilised. "Rao, Sam breathe!"

"I went to the L-Corp and…" She said panting and took a small break to catch her breath. "I was about to inform Jess why her boss hadn't still appeared to the company and that I would have to replace her for some time until she gets better. But out of sudden Jess told me to approach carefully because Lena wasn't in a good mood today. The woman thought I was there for a visit. I don't need to describe the shock I felt when she told me Lena was inside. So, I slowly knocked on the door when I heard a voice same to Lena's, that serious thick one you, know it, calling me in, I entered. Opening the door, I saw an exact copy of our Lena, sitting on her desk like she owned the entire place. That woman, if she was a human, knew me already somehow and pretended to be her."

"WHAT?" J'onn roared. I was too stunned to react, so I kept listening quietly.

"Yes! But I asked who she was and that I had just returned from the hospital where the real Lena Luthor was. Her complexion was already dark, but it got darker as soon as I made a mistake to tell her this. She stood up and approached me slowly. I got scared immediately because, except the total black clothes that made her look terrifying, it was something in her eyes that scared the shit out of me."

"It can be possible…" I murmured, and they both looked at me with a frown.

"Do you know what is this?" J'onn asked me, but I told Sam to go on to make sure my suspicions were right.

"That woman is literally the devil incarnated. She asked me which hospital Lena was, and I was shocked that she knew about it. I recognised the danger and avoided to tell her anything, but it's not pretty hard for her to guess. Lastly, she said that she was here to replace the weak, soft-hearted Lena with a better version of herself. When she got closer, I almost flinched, noticing that one of her hands was hidden behind her back. So I ran out of there without looking back. Kara, I don't know who that woman is, but I think Lena is in danger."

"I think she's from the fifth dimension. Somehow she appeared here. It's too complicated to explain, right now we don't have much time."

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"We're taking Lena out of this place!" 


	15. Sleeping Beauty Part 2.

Kara's journal

**11/06**

We ran in the corridors of the hospital, passing through nurses and doctors who tried to stop us and block our way. None of us was willing to stand down even if it meant pushing people on the ground to clear out a path.

"Call security!" A caught a glimpse of a doctor yelling to a nurse who picked up the phone and placed in on her ear. We reached the intensive care, and as I took a turn to the neurology department, I bumped into Dr Vandenberg. The poor woman lost her balance, but I acted quickly and caught her before crashing on the ground. She looked bewildered, eyeing us with a shock on her face.

"Where's Lena Luthor's room?" J'onn asked, arching his head back to the corridors, checking whether security or the satanic fifth dimensional Lena was coming.

"You are not allowed to be here." The doctor said.

"Listen to me. Someone is coming to kill Lena Luthor, and I know it will sound very, very strange but that person looks exactly like Lena Luthor. So please, if you don't want her blood on your hands, tell us where she is!" The woman before us looked completely confused and thoughtful, which aggravated Sam even more. She was about to punch the woman in her face for taking so long to answer. But as the doctor made up her mind, she said:

"Follow me." And we followed her while Sam told her to walk faster. We burst into the room; my heart ached as I faced a senseless intubated; the monitor beeped at a steady pace.

"Why is she still intubated?" I asked.

"We were about to remove the ventilator and check if she can breathe on her own, but you suddenly burst in here!" The doctor answered, frustrated with her fists resting inside her white robe's pockets.

"Trust us, she doesn't need a ventilator," Sam said, looking at the machines.

"And how are you so sure?" The doctor asked completely irritated now, crossing her arms under her chest. This was leading nowhere, and we were losing time. So I stepped forward and pleaded the doctor to help instead of asking questions.

"Please, I know this is exactly the opposite of what you've been taught in medical school, but you need to trust us and unplug Lena from all these monitors and machines. We need to transfer her immediately!" I begged the woman whose eyebrows creased in a mix of disbelief and anger. But then a panting doctor came inside fixing his glasses and staring at the unconscious Lena.

"That's impossible." He murmured, swimming in a pool of sweat.

"George, what's going on?" The doctor's formality was gone and replaced with a friendly tone.

"There's another Lena Luthor outside, marching in the hospital with some agents around her. I had to run here and see it by myself that I'm not losing my mind and it's happening in real. She's searching for every department for this Lena Luthor." He said quickly and leaned forward to catch his breath. Dr Vandenberg's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wait here." She said, and walked away.

"You!" J'onn addressed to the man sweating like cheese. "Do you know how to unplug those machines?" He asked, but it mostly sounded like an order like those times he commanded everyone in the DEO.

"I..I...do, b...b..but it's not s...safe." The man stuttered as J'onn narrowed his eyes on him, throwing his scariest look.

"I don't think you realise the situation. That woman you saw out there is here to kill the real Lena Luthor. Your real boss. If you don't unplug her now, your life ends along with Lena's." He said threateningly, putting his hands on his waist to belittle the man even more. The doctor nodded multiple times, sweating even more by the stress and started doing his job. I felt sorry for him, but we did what we had to do. He removed the machines, and we thanked him briefly. J'onn and I started pushing the bed while Sam opened the door to check the corridors. With her wave, we exited the room, drawing everyone's attention. We ran carefully not to bump into something and hurt Lena. Taking a few turns following Sam, who ran ahead, I saw the elevator's door on the end of the corridor.

We had almost made it when Metallo Lena showed up from the corner along with DEO's agents who carried their most massive weapons. She had a vicious smirk on her face. Her eyes, unclean and full of hellfire, instead of the pure gentle orbs I knew. We immediately stopped and started pulling the bed back, but a group of security men was coming upon us. I eyed J'onn in an understanding look. He nodded, communicating only with his eyes. Today was the day I would reveal my identity to humans. And I wouldn't even hesitate for a minute if it was to save Lena's life. As the security men ran, I saw them in a slow-motion approaching, only listening to my heart, beating fast. I turned my head to the other side of the corridor and saw Metallo Lena walking with the agents pointing their guns on us. I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath, and when I opened them again, my hand touched my glasses to remove them and change to my suit.

"FOLLOW ME." Dr Vandenberg's scream stopped me immediately. I turned my head on the left to see her holding a door opened and waving at us. Without a second thought, we pushed the bed inside, and Sam followed us from behind. She made sure to lock the door behind us, not that it would prevent anything. Following the brunette before us, we passed the empty treating rooms through the internal doors, connecting them. When she opened the last entry, we came across to another corridor empty. The doctor ran to the elevator and pushed the button frantically, almost shaking. I couldn't imagine how vulnerable and shocked the poor doctor was.

"Come on!" She groaned as the elevator took its time. Me and J'onn and even Sam who lacked any superpowers, looked around, shielding with our bodies Lena and Dr Vandenberg.

Far in the back of the corridor on my right, I glanced a shadow. My breath hitched when the shadow grew more prominent as the seconds passed. Just on time, the elevator beeped, and the doors opened. We pushed the bed inside and right before I join the others, I caught a glimpse of a green glow. For a moment I thought it a delusion, but then I heard the sound of heels clack down the PVC floor.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Sam whispered anxiously as the clatter sounded closer. When the iron doors closed, I let out a breath I wasn't even aware of keeping and looking the others around me, they were in the same condition. The doctor had pushed the zero ground button, and we waited for the slow elevator to reach. The doors opened again, and we quickly headed to the end of an extensive, endless corridor with white titles. The lights were flickering, stressing me out even more. Cold sweat ran through my body, and I felt like it was a horror movie and not the reality. Reaching the parking lot, we tried some trucks, but most of them were locked. We finally found one unlocked, and thankfully the keys were under the visor mirror. J'onn started the engine while Sam and I got in the backspace.

"I have to stay here, but please take this." Dr Vandenberg grabbed a card out of her pocket and passed it to Sam. "This is my personal business card. Text me the address of the patient because it is essential to keep an eye on her." We nodded but unsure whether it was the right thing to do, considering we would hide Lena to the Tower.

"If you really care about helping her, destroy all the blood samples and tests you ran. That woman that looks like Lena mustn't know how we cured her." I said.

"You did that?"

"Yes and please, I know this entire situation looks crazy, but please doctor I beg you. You must trust us! Please tell the doctors to keep her sudden improvement a secret." I literally begged the woman in front of me without the slightest intention of hiding my despair. She just stared me blankly, and J'onn yelled that we were running out of time. I reached for the door to pull it, but the doctor's firm hand prevented me from doing so.

"Okay, but you will give me explanations after this." I nodded, and she pushed the door closed. J'onn immediately pushed the gas pedal. He drove in average speed to avoid drawing unwanted attention. When we passed through the main entrance of the hospital, I saw the DEO's SUVs parked on the street. Panic overflowed me, and for a moment, I thought I would get a panic attack again. Alex wasn't there to calm me down, and my breathing was already altered. I closed my eyes, trying to block all the sounds around me except for one—Lena's steady beating heart. Sam must have noticed since I felt her presence moving beside me, but I didn't dare to lose my concentration.

As the minutes passed, my breath became stable again, and a feeling of peace overflowed me. It was like I could sense Lena's voice in my head telling me to calm down. But I knew it was just a creation of my imagination.

After a while, J'onn pulled up on the back alley of the Tower. From the sudden shake, I understood he had exited the driver's seat and closed the door. Then he opened the back doors, saying it was safe and unlocked the gate of the yard. As we passed the yard, I was mesmerised to witness the changes. Even if the trees had lost most of their brown leaves, they were beautiful. An entire garden with benches, bushes and a fountain were somehow placed there while I was gone. Entering the building, from the glass door that was replaced with colourful stained glass, I came across a completely different place.

"Kara, hold the bed firmly we have to climb down the stairs!" J'onn said, dragging my attention. But I immediately picked it up and floating, I avoided the stairs and placed it down, next to the new lab. There were even sun lamps for me. "That works too." He shrugged. I kept looking around in aw, with my lips, parted. Sam had the same expression as me as she walked to the library, checking the books' titles.

"J'onn, you made the place magnificent," I said.

"It wasn't me; it was Lena."

"What?"

"Yeah, the witch knows how to spoil us." Alex's voice sounded from the main entrance. Turning around, I saw her sauntering towards us. Sam immediately ran to help her, but Alex said she was fine and took a seat with difficulty in one of the stools.

"Alex, what are you doing here? You sneaked out of the hospital?" Sam said like an angry mom scolding her child, and I noticed how natural it came to her after raising Ruby all alone.

"They discharged me today since it's just a bone injury."

"But you should rest!"

"Stop overreacting I'm fine. I've broken many bones in my life, don't worry." Sam rolled her eyes at my sister's stubbornness. Alex looked very uncomfortable at first since the rib belt she wore forced her to maintain her chest in a specific place, but after sitting up multiple times, she finally found a position that didn't cause her pain. Sam leaned forward and pecked her lips shamelessly in front of us. I didn't say anything, and instead, I walked to Lena's bed. With J'onn's help and under Alex's instructions, we connected her with a monitor in case something happened. Not that there was any chance for it. It was a matter of time until she would wake up, and the serum would even give her superpowers. When I turned my head, I saw Sam whispering something in Alex's ear, and both of them laughing. Then I thought I had enough of it and it was the scolding time.

"So Harun-El uh? I can't imagine the witch with superpowers." Alex said teasingly. I didn't know when the "Witch" calling replaced the "Luthor", but I was glad it happened. Knowing my sister, some significant improvement had occurred in their relationship, and I was curious to know-how.

"I think Lena can handle them greatly before we extract it again. The problem is if the doctor or someone in the hospital keeps it secret from her evil double. I mean, imagine that crazy woman finding out about the Harun-El." Sam answered.

"Yeah like the green Kryptonite wasn't enough in her chest, she will also have black running through her veins." I murmured, and they all turned to look at me with a confused face. Then I realised I hadn't explained to them before because we were in a hurry, so I did.

"So to get this clear, you are the cause of this?" Sam asked with a hint of anger.

"Yes and no. I mean, I'm not the one that brought her here. Somehow she got transferred to this dimension."

"Lex..." Sam sighed.

"That man needs a lobotomy." Alex huffed angrily.

"I can think of many therapists that would be more than glad to do it," I said, guiding the conversation exactly where I wanted. One of the many things Lena had taught me the past years. "Oh, speaking of therapists, Alex, how is Kelly?" I blurted out of sudden, catching my sister by surprise. Sam, beside her, had the same stunned expression.

"We broke up." For a second, I felt angry at my sister for not telling me, but then I realised it was my fault for not knowing it. I had lost my earbud and couldn't contact them, and instead of returning with Lena, I stayed with William. I took one selfish decision for once, I thought of myself just for once, and I immediately faced the consequences of it. It was just a moment of break down and never thought three days could play such an important role. I knew how vital Supergirl was in people's lives and how great was my responsibility towards them, but right now, I realised how important Kara Danvers was too.

"When did it happen?"

"When you were in Dublin."

"Alex, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you." I squeezed her shoulder, avoiding to hug her because of her injury.

"Like it was the only thing you missed." Sam huffed silently and immediately everyone, including me, turned to look at her. As if J'onn sensed the storm coming, he said he would go to destroy the ambulance so that they wouldn't locate it through the GPS.

"What is this supposed to mean?" I said alerted now.

"You really want to make this conversation?" I nodded positively. "Okay, fine! You went to Dublin to support Lena, and you fucking missed the burial. Because of what? Of staying with that fucking jerk William? And before that, you stuck your tongue in Lena's throat. And even before that, you asked her to kiss you to confirm what? That you're not gay? You're a fucking homophobe! You treated my friend as an experiment, instead of supporting her during her sorrow, you fucked her even more mentally, and I'm never going to forgive you for that. I've been keeping this rage inside since she has told me, but this is enough! Now excuse me, I need to go and check my daughter." Sam stormed out of the building without even saying goodbye to my sister. I looked at her without a blink of an eye. I glanced a stool beside Alex and sat there, almost losing my balance. I was too weak to form a word. And if that wasn't enough, my sister said:

"Kara, I'm sorry about Sam's manners, but I can't disagree with her. Even if I find it difficult to trust Lena, the way you treated her was very poor. And there's something else you need to know, and if now isn't the right time then I don't know when that might be." She took a pause checking on me, but my gaze was stilled at the ground. "Kara?" She asked to make sure I was listening, and when I turned my eyes on her, she continued talking. "William cheated on you with that friend of Lena, Nessa. Multiple times from what I know." I stared at her blankly, and when she realised I wasn't going to say anything yet, she continued. "Lena saw them having sex in the toilets of the club, and she covered it up because Nessa could get in jail. I guess she has told you about her drug addiction. Anyway, it wasn't that she wanted to keep it from you; she was just looking for the right time to tell. Because hey Kara, William fucked my friend, isn't the best way to say it right? Anyway, when Lena returned, we talked, and she went to ask Andrea about William. She never assigned him an article to Dublin. He lied about it." Alex paused to make sure I kept listening but not getting a response, she stopped.

"Go on," I whispered, too weak to even form a proper phrase.

"We decided to work together to help you, and that's how she joined the team. She upgraded this place with the excuse that she couldn't work in such a terrible place, but I think she did mostly for you. And for us, to like her too, but mostly for you. Anyway, we searched, I mean she, hacked the DEO's database but we found nothing about William except for some articles about his parents' death and guess where it happened." Alex waited for a guess of any response but noticing she wouldn't get it, she sighed and continued. "In Midvale! The same night your ship landed in our yard! It can't be just a coincidence, Kara!" I was utterly stupefied and confused. My mind tried to process everything, but I didn't even know how to respond to all these thoughts. I felt a sea of emotions drowning me. The room was too small for me; I needed to get out of there. Alex reached for my hand, but I was faster and almost jumped up quickly. Just in time I was about to leave, I saw a notification on the computer screen, and a low alarm sounded. Then a video of the live traffic cameras appeared, showing two aliens fighting together and the exact address below. I took off my glasses mechanically and changed in my suit. "Kara wait!" I heard my sister calling me, but it was too late. I was already out of there.

Watching the aliens from above, I landed on the street between them, so firmly that I created a small wave of debris, enough to throw them on the ground. Without waiting for them to come round, I picked a street lighting column and tied both of them with it, passing them to the DEO. People cheered at me, but I didn't even smile at them. I quickly pushed my feet on the ground and took off. _"Instead of supporting her during her sorrow, you fucked her even more mentally."_

"No."

_"William cheated on you with that friend of Lena, Nessa. Multiple times from what I know."_

"No!"

_"You're a fucking homophobe!"_

"NO!" I screamed to myself and landed on a rooftop abruptly, almost crashing on it. I'm not a homophobe, no! My sister is gay, and I'm okay with it! No, I don't mind liking women. Or do I? Do I think I'm not just because society is so hostile about it? Because I had heard, or actually eavesdropped with my super hearing, Jeremiah and Eliza fighting about it? It was three years after the Danvers family adopted me that I heard Jeremiah worrying that Alex was gay because she had too many sleepovers with her high school friend Vicki Donahue and because some times Alex wouldn't stop talking about how amazing she was. Eliza said he was overreacting and that they were just very close friends, but he insisted and claimed that if his daughter were homosexual, he would do his best to forget about her existence. Obviously, his protest got milder and eventually got used to it since many years passed, and society's stereotypes started changing. But I wondered back then why it was so bad liking the same gender. I was raised with other principles and attended many homosexual marriages with my parents. So I thought it was another strange thing here on Earth. Then one day at school, some of my classmates saw two boys kissing in a quiet spot on the backyard and called everyone to go and watch them like they were an exhibition or something. When they came back they laughed at the photos they took with their phones and tried to guess who's the top and who's the bottom. I felt utterly disgusted with them, and all I wanted was to stand up and kick the ass of those petty humans, but I couldn't. I had to pretend to be human. And somehow this normality managed to change my mindset too.

When my sister told me she had feelings for Maggie, I felt dizzy and had to sit on a bench literally. I was so petrified but did my best to remain calm and don't make Alex upset. All I could think of saying was asking about Maggie. And when my sister said Maggie was gay, my imagination travelled beyond it should have and made me nauseous. I tried to convince her indirectly that it was because she hadn't found the right guy yet. Every time someone approached her, Alex would turn them down instantly. I couldn't understand why she preferred women than men. I had tried to put myself in her position, but it was impossible because I couldn't sexually think of women. But then Alex confessed to me that she had feelings for Vicki back then but was in denial and I instantly remembered her parents' conversation. Of course, pretending to be ignorant was the only choice. I sighed and pressed my lips together, and then I asked more about Maggie, Alex suddenly stood up and left. Somehow I had upset her even more, but I couldn't help it. It felt like a kryptonite bomb crashing on my head. Not that I know the feeling of it and I don't wish to learn. Then I avoided her for the rest of the day complicating things even more. Significantly when she said to accompany me at home after the attack, I almost jumped on my feet. I can't imagine now how she felt. I treated her like some kind of freak. But back then it made me feel like I didn't know who my sister was. I thought I had lost her because of her revelation. I was too blind to see I was losing her with my behaviour. Maybe if I weren't so self-absorbed all these years, talking about my secret instead of discussing her feelings, I would have noticed.

Later, when she came to my place, she was so anxious that she couldn't even sit down. And that because of me. The struggle to accept it was too evident and created a distance with her that I hadn't experienced since the first years I joined her family. I hated to be like this with my sister, so instead, I accused my ego and self absorbency as the reason I was acting weird. Then I played it cool that I didn't mind and she believed it. Instantly tears of relief slid down her eyes. Only then I realised how hard it was for her too. Watching her interaction with Maggie, at first it felt weird but by the time I got used to it and pretended it was the same with two friends hanging out. Except when they kissed. I couldn't get used to it no matter how hard I tried. But after Mon-El's departure, I spent so much time closed up to myself that probably matured me a lot. Because witnessing their kisses felt normal. I was even sad about their break up since I had grown fond of Maggie; even if we had our differences.

When Lena told me she was into women too, I didn't experience the same emotions I did when Alex come out. It felt so familiar to me, and I thought I got used to it because of Alex, but the truth hid deeper after all. Because a part of me felt relief with Lena being attracted to women. And I was too blind, too of an idiot to see it. But oh Rao, that damn night when she was drunk and kissed me in her apartment, all the feelings I had been repressing, all the thoughts, came on the surface. My mind blasted by the passion and desire for that woman. But I was so scared for experiencing such deep feelings for someone for the first time in my life that I panicked and left. And I was aware she was drunk, and I took advantage of her. Like when I asked her to kiss me. I convinced myself that it was to prove I wasn't attracted to women but deep down, I craved to feel those lips on mine. Unconsciously my eyes would land on them when she wasn't looking, mostly when she wore that red lipstick.

Oh, Rao, I have treated that woman so poorly that I don't even know how someone's heart can be that pure to keep supporting a person like me. I can't even describe the surprise I felt when I found out she joined our team and spent a fortune to renovate the Tower. My heart clenched when I realised she bought the solar light lamps and bed just for me. How could I be so unfair to her? And now she's lying still unconscious there, completely vulnerable, while her double and Lex trying to kill her. I can't even breathe to the thought of never speaking to her again. I can't live without Lena; I just can't! She needs to know how deeply sorry I am. Rao, please help her and I promise I'll spend the rest of my insignificant life trying to make amends to her. The world can't miss such a flawless mind, and indeed I can't live without my best friend even if that's what meant to be my position in her life. Just being her best friend, if that means to speak to her, to see and touch her, to smell her perfume mixed with her natural scent. Please, Rao, send her back to me.

I looked at the sky as I ended my prayer and then fell on my knees in the middle of the roof, and bent down crying uncontrollably. My hot tears wetted the concrete, leaving a stain that would soon disappear. My body jerked as my sobs grew louder. Knowing that no one could hear me, I let all my tension go until I was too dehydrated to cry any more. The sun warmed my cold and shivering skin. Slowly I stood up and wiped my sticky cheeks and red puffy eyes with the back of my sleeve.

_"Now you have someone that will stand up for you. Always."_

_"Well, Supergirl may have saved me, but, Kara Danvers, you are my hero."_

_"I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."_

_"Promise?"_

_"I will always be your friend, and I will always protect you."_

_"Save the chemicals, not me."_

_"No, I'm not gonna drop you."_

_"Let me go."_

_"No!"_

_"I mean I've done it before, but not on this level."_

_"Well if anyone can do it, it's you."_

The city's noise overflowed me, but I didn't dare to open my eyes. It was a desperate attempt to get these thoughts backs because they felt so real. I wasn't sure whether I had dozed off this whole time or if it was only daydreaming, but I felt like I relived all the moments with Lena. How did I do this to her? The promise I gave her was a lie. I was a liar. I didn't keep my word and abandoned her in a tough moment in her life. Even if Lillian was cold-hearted and cruel, Lena loved her. She was in pain, and I only made it worse with my actions. How could I do that to my best friend? To the woman that I'm in love with. Sam was so right. I don't even know how I can live with myself after that.

I opened my eyes and noticed it was dark. I had been like this for Rao knows how much time. Floating and dreaming was my coping mechanism, but I was Kara Danvers too, and I had forgotten entirely that Cat had asked me to talk later. Without caring for showing up as Supergirl, I flew to her balcony in CatCo. There was no one on the floor except for her. When my fit hit the ground, it caused her attention, and I heard a little gasp when she saw me.

"Take a seat; no one's here." She said, returning her attention to the documents she read.

"Miss Grant, I'm sorry I didn't come earlier. I..."

"Save the excuses; you did what you had to do. However, I'm not sure for long it can be going."

"Miss Grant, I'm so sorry." And as devastated as I was, tears started slipping down. I leaned my head to hide my face. J'onn was right. Crying as Supergirl was beyond humiliating. It ruined everything I stood for, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't receive another scolding even if I deserved it. Actually, I earned the absolute hell.

When Cat noticed me crying, she took off her glasses and stood up, circling the desk to reach me. She stood precisely beside me and squeezed my shoulder almost afraid of touching me, but I immediately wrapped my arms around her waist and let myself break down. She arched her arms awkwardly, taken aback and without knowing what to do with her hands, she patted my head as people do to dogs. But as my body jerked and loud sobs filled the silence, she probably felt sorry for me and let her fingers intervene with my locks, scratching my scalp softly. I had to stop myself from purring like a cat.

When I calmed down a bit, she sat in the chair opposite from me and reached for my hand. It was one of the very few times witnessing her human side, and it made me love and admire her even more. After Eliza, she was the second maternal figure I had on Earth.

"Kara, what's wrong?" She asked in such a gentle way that I had never heard before, softer than the one she spoke to Adam. I told her everything. I opened my entire heart to her, talking honestly about my feelings, about my past experiences in life, I confessed things no one else knew, and during all of that, Cat had the one hundred per cent of her attention on me without interrupting just for once, or getting bored. She listened carefully and with great interest. When I was done, I don't know how much time it had passed, but it was quite a lot since the opposite's buildings' lights had switched off. She looked at me thoughtfully and leaned back on the chair, closing her legs.

"If you want me to tell you that everything is gonna be okay, I won't. It's not that easy." She finally said.

"I know that, and I deserve every world's bad. I don't care about myself anymore, all I want is to Lena get better."

"Oh, cut the bullshit Kerah. Stop building yourself up and act like a woman. Accept the responsibility of your mistakes and work your ass to make amends. I knew I was right about that worm William, by the way."

"How to fix something like that? The damage is way too much to be fixed." Cat looked at me with an indecipherable look on her face. She stood up and walked to the bar to serve herself a fair amount of bourbon.

"What happened to Supergirl I've known?" She asked, and without waiting for an answer, she continued. "You wear this symbol on your chest to inspire people, yet you can't even stand up for yourself. Yeah, to be honest, it was really bitchy, ditching the Luthor in Dublin while grieving for the crazy terrorist, she had the misfortune of calling "Mother". But we all make mistakes, even Supergirl or Kara Danvers."

"You're right."

"Of course, I am! Look at you. You have all this power on your hands, and you still haven't learned to use it."

"I know miss Grant. You're right. I have to fix this." I said this time feeling the determination running in my veins again. I wasn't going to fall in the trap of punishing myself. I did it with Mon-El, but I was much more mature now. I would accept the facts and fix everything as long as Lena woke up because my life would be insanely hurtful without her.

"Yes, you do, and you also have to bring me an article by the end of the week. I don't mind you running around with the condition that you can keep up with your job at the same time."

"Of course, miss Grant. I promise you, what happened today, won't happen ever again." I said and stood up to leave the woman finally at peace.

"Good." She said, taking a sip of her drink and going to sit back on her desk while I walked to the balcony to leave.

"Good night, Miss Grant."

"Good night, Kara." But before taking off, her voice stopped me again. "Oh, and Kara. If you tell anyone about the conversation, we just had, firing you will be least of your suffering." She said in a devilishly sweet tone. I chuckled and just nodded before flying away.

**11/08**

Two days had passed, and Lena still hadn't woken up. At first, we thought it was because of the anaesthetics, but after the first day, we started worrying. We had all been fighting whether we should trust the doctor or not. J'onn and I wanted to call her while Sam and Alex were more pessimistic about it. There was no way we could learn if Lena's double knew the truth about Harun-El, except if we called the doctor. I didn't see a point of not trusting her. After all, she had risked her life to save us. Then, of course, Alex said I trusted people too quickly because I always saw the good inside them, and she was true, but right now we had no other option. At the same time, Sam would drop hints about the way I treated Lena, and I did my best to pretend I wasn't affected by them. Every time I wanted to agree with Sam and let take her anger out on me, Cat's words came in my mind and immediately stopped. People made mistakes, and I would do everything to fix it. I had heard Sam's scolding, she had helped me enormously to realise my mistakes finally, but right now, her anger couldn't help but be an obstacle in the situation. Passive aggressiveness was always an obstacle, so I decided to let her indirectly attack me some more times before getting to talk to her. I didn't expect forgiveness. I didn't expect anything I didn't deserve of. Only some patience to try to bear me, for Lena's sake.

"Guys! Stop!" J'onn yelled, and we immediately stopped, only throwing vicious stares on each other. "This way, we will never make a decision. Sam, Alex, I know you don't want to trust a stranger, but what other option do we have?" He asked, and they both fell silent, their face easing up as they thought about it calmer now.

"Okay, if you wanna call her, fine do it! But don't say I didn't tell you when that woman reveals this place." Alex retorted.

"Alex, you can't be so prejudiced!"

"I'm not prejudiced Kara; I just don't trust people the moment they smile at me, like you!"

"NOT AGAIN!" J'onn screamed, like a father scolding his children. I crossed my arms, and we just exchanged stares with Alex. "And no gaze fighting!" He added, and I averted my eyes from my irritating sister. "Thank H'ronmeer. Now we have some silence." A beep sound came from the computer screen, and we approached to watch. Then I came across with a stocks' red chart writing L-Corp above it; while underneath the most recent articles about how L-Corp's stocks had the first significant drop in years.

"Who put this on the emergency alerts?" Alex asked.

"Lena," I replied with a bitter smile. I turned my eyes above my shoulder to check the woman lying on the bed. She looked so peaceful and calm. Only during our sleepovers, I had the chance to witness her like that. The fact that she wasn't still awake bothered me since yesterday. We hoped that she would have woken by night, but as time passed, everyone started losing their hopes. They left to their home, but I denied to leave her side. I had sworn to myself that I would never do it again. So I sat in a very graceful green velvet armchair and tried to stay awake all night. But without realising I fell asleep. Very early in the morning, I woke up abruptly as adrenaline-filled my body. I opened my eyes with the hope to see Lena awake, but her eyelids were still shut, and the monitor beeped in a steady space. Then the others joined me, wearing the same disappointment on their faces and we started talking about Dr Vandenberg. If Lena kept being in a comatose, she would definitely need medical attention, and I couldn't think anyone more suitable than that woman.

"Okay, this is the doctor's phone. Kara, since you're so supportive of calling the doctor, you should be the one to do it." Sam said and passed me the business card squeezing me firmly on the chest while doing so. Then she left to drive Ruby to her old school in National City. Sam thought it was inappropriate to go now that Lena was at her worst and moved in with Alex until everything gets back to normal and return to her life. But I wasn't so sure this would happen since she was madly in love with my sister. They tried not to show it in front of us, but the looks they exchanged said it all. Even if Kelly was an angel, in my opinion, they didn't have chemistry. I added the doctor's number in the contacts of my new phone and gave her a call. She didn't answer and considering her schedule with surgeries and everything; I thought it was better to text her.

**To Dr Vandenberg: This is Kara Danvers. You helped us escape with Lena Luthor two days ago. If your offer is still on, could you please meet me in CatCo today to take you to Lena?**

I thought of adding that Lena hadn't woken up yet, but I thought it was too dangerous, leaving a slight doubt open about the doctor's true intentions. Then I left to change and take a shower and go to CatCo. I had an idea about some significant discovery, and I needed Cat's opinion first. I spent almost the entire day in CatCo working on another article since the deadline was until this week. Moreover, the other article needed time and investigation.

I was double-checking the article I was about to deliver when everyone's screens froze, and suddenly Lena's double appeared. Her hair was caught in a bun, her lips with a very dark red lipstick, almost looking black, and a black roll-neck sweater hid the green stone on her chest.

"Dear citizens of National City. I am in the pleasant position to inform you that from now, your protection will be my highest priority. We see the police every day struggling with aliens, and even if we got superheroes on our sides, sometimes they are not enough. So, why do we have to keep suffering these misfortunes when we can get a better protecting system? I happily announce you the creation of police robots that will assist the current ones and fight crime. They will soon be available to every police department. Thank you for your attention." She said, and the screen changed back to the article I was writing. I did my best trying not to panic. Metallo Lena was trying to dominate this world too, and she had started creating those robots using the fifth dimension's energy. What if she could bring Reign back? I couldn't allow this to happen. Out of sudden a LED flash on my phone blinked and I heard the sound of a notification. What a ridiculous function! I looked around me to make sure no one had noticed because it was really embarrassing. Only a chav could have this function enabled, to show off their expensive phone. I mentally noted to turn it off later.

**From Dr Vandenberg: I'll be there at 8 p.m.**

The doctor replied, and I inwardly wished it wasn't a trap. I spent the rest of the day gathering clues and interviews for the article I had to deliver today. The time I would meet the woman came, and it shocked me how quickly the time passed. I had finished the article on time, and I mailed it to the editor. After that, I turned off the computer and waited for the doctor on the entrance of the building. It was a quarter past eight, and when I started getting worried that the woman wouldn't show up, I heard her voice behind me.

"Hi. It took you a while to notify me." I turned around and saw the black-haired woman having a faint smile on her face. Her dark circles under her eyes betrayed the exhaustion from spending hours sleepless, probably performing a surgery.

"Thank you for coming doctor. Lena still hasn't woken up, and we have started getting worried."

"And that's the only reason you called me. Otherwise, I would be kept in the dark, right?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that my friends don't trust you."

"I can't blame them. It looks like you've got lots of enemies. Now, shall we go?"

"About that, I'll have to go, and someone else will transfer you to the place."

"What? Who?" The woman frowned and a worried look formed on her features. We had thought this plan with J'onn, and we were pretty optimistic that it would work.

"Please trust me, doctor. Just wait here for a minute, she will be right here. Good night." I said and walked away, leaving no time to woman to respond. I caught a glimpse of her opening her mouth to protest, but no voice came out. As soon as I turned on the corner, I ran into a dark alley, and after making sure no one could watch me, I took off my glasses and changed to my suit. Then I flew back to CatCo's entrance where the woman was waiting for me. I could hear her heart beating faster, probably scared and anxious, and I felt terrible for putting her in this state. When I landed beside her, she gasped and put her hand on her chest, instinctively.

"Supergirl!" She exclaimed entirely surprised.

"Are you doctor Vandenberg?" I asked, resting my fists on my waist and fixing my posture.

"Yes, you can call me Olivia." She said, smiling enthusiastically at me.

"Okay, Olivia. I am here to take you to miss Luthor. I have to inform you that our establishment is secret and it needs to remain like that. I'll have to blindfold you and take you there." The woman looked troubled at first, but after thinking it for a few seconds, she smiled again politely.

"I don't mind. I trust you, Supergirl." She said, and I couldn't help but smile too. I didn't know how Sam couldn't trust this sweet woman. For Alex, it was expected since she hadn't met her, but after Sam witnessing her deeds in the hospital, I still couldn't understand. I took a cloth out of my secret pocket and approaching the woman, I covered her eyes with it and made a tight knot behind her head, making sure it wouldn't move during the flight.

"Is it too tight?"

"No, no, it's fine. I just feel a little stupid." The woman said shyly.

"Don't worry. It will be over soon," I said, and I leaned forward to hold her knees with my left hand, while with my right, I held her waist, picking her up in a bridal position.

"Oh!" The doctor screeched and then chuckled. Her cheeks blushing from feeling embarrassment. In a blink of an eye, we were in the Tower. I leaned, and as the woman's feet touched the floor, I let her go. "Can I take this off?" She asked, slipping her slender fingers underneath the cloth.

"Yes, you can." At this time, no one was there except for me, the doctor and Lena, whose monitor echoed in the room. The doctor observed the place in awe, mostly when her eyes fixed on the lab. But she was too discreet to impose any questions. She walked to Lena's bed and pulled a stethoscope and a pocket flashlight out of her briefcase. Firstly she checked her lungs which I thought it was just a routine since her condition wasn't caused by respiratory damage and then checked her pupils with the flashlight. She seemed troubled and thoughtful.

"GCS is still about three."

"GCS?"

"Oh, sorry. Glasgow Coma Scale. Her pupils don't even respond to the light. I suggest we connect her with a brain monitor."

"Dr Vandenberg, is she going to be okay?"

"Please call me Olivia. Dr Vandenberg makes me feel old and serious while I'm only thirty-five years old." She chuckled, and from the way her eyes locked with mine, I got the impression she was trying to flirt with me. The air was too heavy to even smile at her politely. "What did you give her?"

"Take a seat." I pointed at a stool, and the woman sat promptly. On the other hand, I didn't feel that comfortable, so I remained on my feet. Many minutes passed, explaining to the woman briefly how the serum was invented, avoiding, of course, to mention it was black kryptonite or the kryptonite word at all. The less they knew about it, the better. I also told her that Lena's brother, Lex, had created a doppelganger of her, that he could control since Lena acted against him. It wasn't entirely true, but it was the best explanation I could give her to understand and don't share too much information at the same time. After I was done, she remained silent with her light orbs fixed on the floor. Then I got the chance to ask her what it bothered me since the beginning. "Did her double learn about her condition?" Olivia looked taken aback by the sudden question.

"No, don't worry. Only my team knew about her sudden health improvement. Everyone else thought she was a lost cause. I informed them, and they won't say anything. I'm aware many people don't like her, but her ownership has only benefited us. She has a huge heart. None of the private hospitals in the entire world offers for free as much as Lena's." The doctor said, and I instantly calmed down. She was telling the truth, I could feel that. Just on time, I was about to ask her more about Lena's condition; I heard the central door opening and instantly saw James entering.

"Mr Olsen!" I said formally, indicating with my eyes the woman beside me as meaning to watch his reference to me, even though all I wanted was to run and hug him.

"Supergirl!" He exclaimed, smiling brightly and then he turned his attention to the doctor. He walked toward us and extended his arm to her. "James Olsen."

"I know. I mean... I've been admiring your work in CatCo and even more as the Guardian. Thank you for keeping us safe in the streets. I'm Olivia Vandenberg, miss Luthor's doctor." The woman said shyly and shook Jame's hand.

"It's one of the very few times someone thanks me. Usually, people are afraid of me."

"Afraid of you? How could I? You may not remember it, but you saved me once from a thief on the street. It's a great pleasure meeting you in person!"

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine." He said sharing a long deep stare with the doctor. Olivia's cheeks turned crimson for once again, and I heard her heart beating fast. I dry coughed to return to the subject.

"Mr Olsen, what are you doing here? Why aren't you in Calvintown?" I asked, drawing his attention.

"Oh, please don't mind me here. You can talk freely. I mean you had been fighting crime together for years, I can't believe you still refer to him as Mr Olsen." Olivia shrugged, making both of us chuckle.

"Okay, James, what are you doing here?" I repeated in a sarcastic tone while the doctor went back on checking Lena.

"I saw Lena's announcement on TV, and I immediately called you, but the phone was off. Then I called Alex, and she told me that your phone got broken and informed about everything. I came as fast as I could. I can't believe this!" He said, eyeing the lying woman on the bed. "Who shot her?"

"We think, her double. She must be working with Lex." I pulled James out in the backyard to talk privately without the doctor listening.

"Wow!" He exclaimed glancing the garden.

"I know. Lena did this." I replied in a sad tone, and he immediately squeezed my shoulder in a comforting way.

"Don't worry Kara. She's gonna be fine. Lena is a fighter."

"I don't if this time she will. We even injected her Harun-El, and she still doesn't wake. You didn't see her as I did. With that hole in her head, her body lying on the ground covered in blood..." My voice broke at this point, and he pulled me in a hug, resting his chin on the top of my head. He said nothing to comfort me because even he wasn't sure Lena would wake up. He just let me broke down again in his arms. I swore that this time would be the last one crying, but a part of me knew it would be impossible to keep this word. When I was calmer, I pulled back and cleaned my eyes. Jame's eyes were glossy too. Then realisation overcame me. How egotistical of me seeking comfort while everyone was battling mentally also. One mistake after another... This time I would put aside my human emotions, bury my sorrow and do everything to bring Lena back.

"Just to know, I will stay here for a while. I'm not leaving until I see Lena waking up."

"James what if..."

"Don't say it! Just don't!" I nodded and walked back inside with him following. The doctor was sitting on a stool with her briefcase on her hands.

"Supergirl, Mr Olsen, we will need a brain monitor to be sure, but I can tell miss Luthor is in a coma. From what I understand, this serum is some kind of panacea, which is odd that it didn't work. I don't think it's an overdose the problem; otherwise, she would be in shock now. I think the problem is in her. Some patients, even if their body is fully recovered, don't wake up because something keeps them in this state. But until I can see her brain's activity, I can't tell for sure."

"Thank you, doctor, for everything!" I said, my voice hiding the sadness I felt.

"You don't need to thank me at all. Now, I think it's late, and I must go. Tomorrow you will pick me up again, and this time I will need a brain monitor. I could easily get one from the hospital, but I don't want to move any suspicions."

"Okay, sure whatever you need. Thank you, you didn't have to help us, but you do!" I said again and taking the cloth; I covered the doctor's eyes. James looked at me, confused at first and then he realised the reason I did it. I flew the doctor directly in her house, which was really close to Lena's hospital. Then I returned to the Tower, and after catching up with James, I returned to my apartment wholly exhausted. I didn't even bother to change from my suit before falling asleep.

**11/09**

Dr Vandenberg was looking at the brain monitor's indication, keeping notes in a pad. The room was silent, and I could only listen to my loudly beating heart. After what it seemed an eternity, she said:

"Thankfully, her brain's activity is very high. Which means she doesn't have brain damage; her brain is not dead."

"That means she will wake up?" I asked, hopefully.

"Probably. But it's uncertain when this will happen. To some patients it takes days, others months, others years and some others even decades."

"Are you saying my friend will wake up after decades? Are you insane?" Sam snapped angrily.

"No, it's just an assumption. All I'm saying is that we don't know when she will wake up. For now, there's nothing we can do except waiting." The doctor said neutrally, but I could see she was also concerned about Lena. Our newer adjustment to the place was the curtains we had put around Lena's bed to give the doctor some privacy when needed. She offered to visit Lena every day to clean her up and feed her through the nasogastric tube. I never thought I would witness a doctor, especially a surgeon with Dr Vandenberg's fame and prestige, doing a nurse's job. But this woman was different. She was humble and kind-hearted. I had thought how difficult it would be to find a suitable trustworthy nurse for Lena and Olivia probably too, and that's why she offered. She was an angel. Of course, Alex still didn't trust the woman and knowing my sister, it would take her centuries to do so. Even Sam had started adjusting to her presence.

I pulled the curtain and sat silently on the couch with the others. Their faces sad and troubled, processing the doctor's words. Sam especially looked devastated. I, on the other hand, pushed my thoughts and feelings back for later when I would come and see her.

"When I was flying here, I saw a big demonstration of police officers mainly, protesting against Lena," I said.

"They think that heartless piece of shit is her!" Sam groaned, her eyes throwing fires.

"We need to do something about it." J'onn replied.

"I've got an idea, but I don't think you're gonna like it," I answered.

"Oh, now you've got an idea? You're such a good friend!" Sam mimicked a cheerful sarcastic tone, but I pretended I didn't listen and jumped directly to the vital matter.

"We need to expose her. I could write an article about her in CatCo, I mean I've already talked to miss Grant about it..."

"You've talked to Grant?" Alex shrieked, and James narrowed his eyes at me, probably choosing my sister's side on this.

"Yeah but miss Grant is on our side. She has been supporting Supergirl all these years has offered her help so many times." I avoided telling them that she knew about my identity because I didn't want to cause any more trouble in their minds. "Anyway, Cat agreed to take the risk and publish it, of course, so now I only need some proof. I thought of exposing her while throwing a kryptonite beam."

"But that proves nothing. People could assume Lena experimented on herself." James cut me off.

"Exactly. That's why we need audio of her admitting she's not Lena too. Audio of her admitting she's from another dimension."

"And how are we going to do that?" Alex asked curiously, and without answering, I turned my gaze to Sam, who shook her head negatively.

"No, I have a child. I'm not going back to that crazy bitch's office!" She said as if reading my mind.

"Sam please it's our only chance. I'll be on the roof, listening to everything and if she tries to attempt anything I'll burst inside. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Oh, now I feel safe. Thank you, Kara! You're so good at protecting your friends." Sam retorted sarcastically, and I felt a pang of guilt on my chest. But immediately brushed it off and stayed on my ground.

"Sam, I know you're scared and to be honest, I'm too. This woman is evil! But this is for Lena. Not for you or me. Imagine Lena waking up and suddenly having the entire city against her. Not that it would be the first time, but it's must different hating her, then just disliking her and being preoccupied. Do you remember how overwhelmed she was when people accused her of poisoning children with lead?" Sam looked thoughtful. Alex beside touched her knee softly in a comforting way and whispered:

"You don't have to do that if you don't want to. We'll think of something else."

"No, she's right," Sam answered, taking a deep breath. "Tell me what I have to do." She addressed to me.

"You'll plant a bug under her desk and then leave. That's all."

"And how am I going to get to her office, you, agent 007?" Sam said sarcastically, and I explained to her what I had thought. With some additions of the others, we created the perfect plan, each one of us having a specific role. Alex was bothered that she wouldn't be in action, but her condition prevented her from doing so. When everyone left, Sam was about to go too, but I stopped her and asked her to talk.

"Look, Sam, I know we haven't been in good terms lately, and you have every right to do so. I would probably hate myself, too if I were you. What I did to Lena was despicable. But right now we need to be united to fight. If we keep fighting and constantly try to tell off each other, there's no way we can make this work. Can we have a truce until all of this passes? You don't have to be my friend; you don't need to like me. Just bear me." Her brows were furrowed and wrinkles formed in her forehead, but then she spoke extended her arm and said:

"Okay. Truce." I shook her hand with a subtle smile, and then we parted.

Later in the evening, I left CatCo earlier than usually informing miss Grant of the reason, and she promptly dismissed me, wishing me good luck. I changed to my suit and flew directly to L-Corps building. Landing on the roof, I sat on the edge, my feet hanging and I stared at the city's lights. Under other circumstances, I would have enjoyed this view. Even if I watched the city every day from above, I could never get bored of it. But right now I was nervous. I could listen to my heart beating loudly but at a steady pace and my libs getting cold and sweaty. The building was almost empty now; only a few people had stayed behind. Focusing my hearing on the floor right below me, I heard neither a heartbeat nor a pulse in her veins. I could only listen the clatter of her typing on the keyboard, the screeching sound of the chair's leg, the electricity as it passed through the devices and lamps, her teeth's gnash as she clenched her jaw. Unfamiliar sounds compared to those I was accustomed to, every time I came to this place.

A sudden loud noise was heard, and a mushroom cloud of the explosion followed a few streets away from the building. I immediately pressed my comm to turn it on.

"Alex, what the hell was that?"

"Oh, that was the distraction."

"I told you just to destroy some of her robots in the warehouse. Not blow it up!"

"That's what happens when the fifth dimension's energy laser hits those things. They overheat and explode." James sounded on the line, laughing mischievously. "Don't worry Kara; we're on the roof. People are safe." He said, and I heard him panting and struggling.

"Tower calls Supergirl. One, two, three." Alex said, mimicking a ridiculously thick voice and then chuckling. "Damn this is much better than I thought."

"You know this reminds me of Clark and Chloe."

"Who?" I heard the satan below me standing up, and her heels clatter at the friction with the ground while walking.

"Shush. She's walking." I said to Alex.

"Is she out of the office?" Without responding, I closed my eyes to concentrate. I heard a slam on the door and steps in the corridor. Then the beep sound of the elevator and its mechanism working as it descended. The lift's doors opened again in a lower floor, and the heels on the tiles sounded.

"Now!" I exclaimed, feeling the adrenaline running through my veins. I heard Sam, on her heels entering L-Corps lobby as the whole place belonged to her, not saying a word to the receptionist. She pressed the button and entered the elevator. After the doors closed and making sure she was alone in the lift, she said:

"I hate you for this." Knowing I would hear it and I chuckled utterly amused. But suddenly Lena's heels echoed again, stomping back to the elevator. Panic and stress overflowed me.

"Alex! The devil is going back to the office! She just called the elevator."

"Shit, shit, shit! I need to warn Sam."

"What?" I heard Sam's shriek in the elevator. Thankfully Lena's hadn't reached hers yet since it was occupied with some employees leaving.

"She hasn't gotten inside yet. We still have time," I said, and Alex transferred the words to Sam.

"Supergirl you're gonna pay for this!" She murmured, and when the doors opened, she headed to the office. But Jess stood up abruptly and tried to stop her.

"I'm sorry miss Arias, but miss Luthor has given me a strict order not to allow anyone gets in without asking her first." The girl's voice sounded different, with a higher pitch. The poor assistant was terrified. Then I heard the doors closing.

"Alex, tell Sam to hurry. She's in the elevator!"

"Shit!" Alex swore again, and I heard her warning Sam through the comm in her ear.

"Jess comes on I'm Lena's friend! I've worked in there so many times. We have even cooperated!"

"I'm so sorry, miss Arias, but I don't think miss Luthor is very friendly now."

"Are you suggesting you know Lena better than me?" Sam changed her approach this time in despair. The poor girl stuttered and completely lost it.

"No...n..no, miss Arias I'm so..."

"I can't believe it! Who do you think you are? Lena will be so displeased listening to such assumptions from an employee's mouth." The devil was heading closer, only five floors had left, and I warned Alex again, who warned Sam but now she was already past the girl who cried silently. She opened the door, and by the time she closed it, she literally ran to the desk. Stress and anxiety overflowed me, and I stood on my feet, pacing back and forth. Alex guided her how to plant the tiny device and turn it on which Sam achieved in a few seconds. Lena was already out, and Alex warned Sam, who stood up immediately and fixing her clothes, she turned to the door.

"WHAT?" I heard Lena barking to the poor assistant like a mad dog.

"Miss Luthor, I'm so sorr..."

"YOU'RE FIRED!" She screamed to the assistant who now was chocking in muffled sobs. I felt incredibly awful for the woman. Our plan had destroyed her career. But when Lena would wake up and I would expose her Metallo double, everything would go back to normal. She stormed inside, and I listened to Sam's heartbeat even louder and faster. My fists clenched and I was ready to push my symbol on the chest to release the mechanism of my protective suit.

"YOU! YOU DARE TO COME BACK HERE?" The devilish woman yelled, and I was sure she looked like a bull eyeing a cape.

"Why not? You're the fake Luthor in here, not me." Sam said simply and sat on Lena's chair like a queen sitting on her throne. I had to admit, when I first came up with it, I didn't imagine she would be so good in her role. Even Alex chuckled.

"You are insane!" Metallo Lena huffed and walked towards Sam threateningly.

"No, you're insane that you think you can come here and command this company. Lena would have me, her friend ruin this place. Not you, a fake, cheap, low-grade copy of her!" Sam exclaimed and even rested her feet on the desk, pushing the woman's documents on the floor without caring. Even if I couldn't see the devil's face, I knew it had been completely stunned. "Cat got your tongue fake Luthor? You're like an awful, plastic, Louis Vuitton replica." Sam provoked again, and I couldn't help but burst in a peal of loud laughter. So loud that I had to cover my mouth to avoid being heard from the satan.

"Reign was my best friend, but you seem to be as petty as your friends. Oh, I will enjoy it so much ending you." She replied, and I heard the snap of the metallic buttons of her black coat, revealing her green stoned heart. Sam froze in her seat and without moving, she whispered:

"Uh, Supergirl? I think now is your time." So lowly that it was impossible to the satan before her to hear. Without waiting for a second more, I pushed the emblem and immediately the tight protecting from kryptonite suit, formed around me. I burst into her office, smashing the glass window since it was closed. Sam got on her knees, covering her faces from the glasses. Metallo Lena didn't move an inch though.

"You!" She spat at me full of hatred.

"Yeah I missed you too, but I had to run here and there honey," I replied mockingly, and she let a beam of kryptonite come out of her chest. But she was too slow and missed. She tried, again and again, failing every time and I moved around her office. As a result, the entire place was ruined and knowing Lena's love for her decoration, the woman before me would regret it, once she woke up. "Oh, you're out of shape." I teased again panting. But she kept throwing her blast at me without stopping. I was getting tired of this. Instead of running away, I ran upon her and punched her forcefully, jabbing her on the wall behind her. While the devil tried to recover, I got the chance to pick Sam up and fly away. She was still shaking in my arms, but after a few minutes passed, she came back to normal, glowering at me.

"If you ever put me through this again..." She threatened, and I resisted my need to chuckle or even smile.

**11/11**

William passed by my place today, and I made the mistake of not checking through the peephole before opening. He came to apologise for what he said back in CatCo. With everything going on, I completely forgot about him. He brought some food he claimed he had cooked (I don't even know if I can believe any word of him anymore) and we ate in very uncomfortable silence. He tried to make me open up and repeatedly apologised, so I said it was fine. It was convenient letting him believe I upset because of his ill manners. Then he left, looking like a sad puppy. I gotta admit, he is such a great actor.

**11/15**

We have been watching every conversation of the devil, but she hasn't referred to her dimension. Maybe she needs someone to lead the discussion, but Sam is more than just unwilling to head back there. She's worried about Ruby, and she's right. Lena still hasn't woken up. I fly the doctor every day in the Tower blindfolded. It has started becoming a routine now. Everyone is getting disappointed and losing hope about Lena, but I don't.

**11/18**

Today it was very stressful. I spent many hours finishing my article with interruptions of emergencies. After Metallo Lena's announcement, people have been demonstrating every day. Police officers have stopped doing their job correctly, which puts more weight on my shoulders. Miss Grant keeps asking how I stand, and I claim it's okay, and I have been through worse, but I don't think there's worse than this. I keep everything inside me during the day but every night, after leaving CatCo, instead of home I head to the Tower. I buy a new bouquet of white gardenias from the flower-shop opposite and talk to Lena about my day. Then I release all my stress, fear and guilt to her. I'm not sure if she can listen to me, but I talk to her like she can anyway. Funny fact, the older woman that owns the flower shop thinks I am in a relationship with a woman who's inside the Tower. She also says that she has insight and can sense unsaid things, but I don't believe her. She challenged me the next day I go for my flowers, to let her read my palm.

**11/19**

There's something very odd with that woman. I let her read my palm, and she said I got great power in me, and I carry a hefty weight on my shoulders. Then she talked about soulmates and something about the speech of Aristophanes which I didn't understand at all. I was never good with history. I hated it. In the end, I thanked her politely and crossed the street. Maybe I will google it before I fall asleep since I feel quite restless tonight.

**11/20**

Today I picked up Olivia as Kara Danvers. I asked her to walk with me to the Tower. The woman felt uncomfortable with me like she didn't know me at all because, in her mind, Supergirl and Kara Danvers were two different people. We agreed with the others to let the doctor know the Tower's location. She has proven trustworthy.

**11/22**

Everyone has started giving up. Even Sam is now less hopeful about Lena. They all avoid to mention her name or even look at her direction. James even pulls the curtain every time he comes. I, on the other hand, am very hopeful. Every night I fall sleep on the armchair talking to her. The smell of the gardenias fills the room. I hope if she can smell them, she has pleasant dreams.

**11/25**

I visited Lena's hospital today, the oncology department of children specifically. They all cheered up immediately when they saw Supergirl standing in front of them. I got on my knees, and they ran to me to hug me. Some nurses called them back to return to their treatment, but they didn't listen. Instead, they kept asking me things about fighting criminals or my superpowers. They also took photos with me, and I signed their T-shirts and posters they carried with them. I slowly stood up to let the kids continue their treatment, already feeling triumphant for making up their day just with my presence.

"Thupergirl!" I heard a voice I recognised coming from the hallway when I was making my way out and then two little arms wrapped around my legs.

"Alice! I'm so happy to see you!" I exclaimed and knelt to pull the girl in a tight hug.

"You remember my name?"

"Of course, I do! How could I forget?" I kissed her forehead softly, and she giggled. Looking around, I noticed that she had come alone.

"Where's your dad Alice?"

"He ith waiting down. I am here to take my medithine."

"And you don't want him with you?"

"No, I am a big woman. I am not afraid!" I chuckled and admired the girl at the same time. It was apparent she would become a badass when she would grow up.

"You're so brave! Do want me to come with you? Just for today." The girl, without thinking it for an instant, nodded positively and smiled, showing her gums as the two front teeth were still missing. I had no idea about humans teen growing, but in Krypton from what I recall, they grew faster. It was cute and funny at the same time—the sweetest girl in the world.

I stood up, and she arched her arm, but when I reached for her hand, she took a step back and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"I don't want you to hold my hand like I'm a thmall thild! I want to walk crothing arthmth with you like a big lady!" I couldn't help but smile at the girl.

"As you wish ma'am," I said and bowed at her like she was a princess. Then I extended my arm and she intertwined hers with mine. "Guide me, big lady," I said in a severe tone and raising her chin, we walked in the corridors. I had to literally lean on my right since the height distance was too great to walk like that. Some nurses passed beside and looked at us grinning while some others took photos of us. "So tell me to miss Alice. What makes you think that holding hands is something childish?" I had no idea where the girl was leading us, but I trusted her of not getting lost.

"Becauthe my dad wanth to hold it all the time."

"Oh, that's why because he loves you and he doesn't want to lose you. It doesn't make you a child. Haven't you seen grown-ups holding hands on the street?"

"Grown upth?"

"Oh, sorry. I meant people of the same age as us. Like couples, holding hands."

"Coupleth?"

"Yeah, uh, people being in love?"

"Ew, love. Like boyth? Boyth are thtupid!" The girl made a funny disgusted grimace, and I laughed at her innocence and yet wiseness.

"Yeah, indeed they are. But couples are not only girls and boys. They are girls and girls too. Or boys and boys. But let's focus on the first two categories." I said trying not to confuse the already confused from what it seemed girl.

"Girlth can love girlth too?"

"Of course they can."

"Oh! Then I'll marry a girl when I grow up."

"That's valid." I chuckled, and after passing some doors, the girl forced us to take a turn. We entered a room where a chair was placed with an IV and some yellowish liquid inside. The nurse had been waiting for her. As soon as she saw me beside the girl, her eyes lightened up, and she expressed her admiration to me. She asked for a selfie with her, which I promptly accepted, but Alice wanted to participate too, and she desperately jumped to appear on the photo. So I lifted her with my arms, and we took a selfie the three of us. Then I asked the nurse to send them to me through the Airdrop. For an instant, I almost got a heart attack, but when I made sure that I hadn't put my name on the iPhone, I calmed down.

Alice took a seat on the chair, and despite her attempt to look brave, I heard her small heart quickening up. I knelt beside her while the nurse cleaned her skin with some alcohol to sterilise it for the injection.

"Alice, do you want me to hold your hand?"

"No. I told you thilly I am a big girl!" She said, but as the nurse approached with the needle, the girl shut her eyes. I instantly reached for her hand when it pierced her skin, and instead of pushing me away as I expected, Alice tightened her tiny grip around my hand. When the nurse was finished, and the fluid started inserting her veins, she opened her eyes slowly, which widened as she glanced our intervened hands.

"Don't worry. It will be our little secret," I said suggestively, and she smiled. She never released her hand from mine. We kept holding hands until the chemo was finished and then I took her to her father, with our arms intervened like before.

**11/27**

William came to my place again, this time with a bouquet. I revealed that I know about Nessa and him. He seemed to be expecting it and dramatically fell on my knees, asking for forgiveness. Not knowing whether I should treat him with diplomacy or not, I told him I needed some time with myself before being able to forgive him. Of course, I couldn't forgive him or believe any of his words. He was a liar and had an ulterior motive I didn't know. William said he would wait an eternity for me, and I felt my stomach turn inside. Fortunately, he left after giving him the false hope of forgiving him. I don't know what to do about him, and right now I can't deal with this too. I just hope it will take lots of time 'till I see his annoyingly perfect face again.

**11/29**

Today James looked more than uncomfortable around my sister. Mostly when Sam was around her. When Sam left to drive Ruby to school, he got the chance to approach Alex.

"Alex, hi! Uh, my sister asked me to pass you her regards." He said. It was apparent he knew what happened between them, but he never let it damage their friendship. Until today, that he looked strange.

"Uh, thank you," Alex said in the same uncomfortable tone.

"She also she... She misses you. A lot." He stuttered, and Alex was caught by surprise. The doctor pulled the curtain, and I didn't know whether it was to give us some privacy or she and Lena.

"Did she?" Was the only thing my sister could say.

"Look, I'm sorry for doing this. I don't want to be in the middle. You are a very dear friend, and she is my sister, and I love you both. I think if you want to talk about something, you should do it yourselves. I'm not a messenger. It was a mistake for accepting to deliver her message in the first place."

"James, calm down, it's okay! I promise I will call her. The way we broke up was very terrible, and even if we can't be together, we can be friends. Thank you for telling me." She said and squeezed his arm. James is just a decent guy.

**12/1**

The past three days, I've been doing nothing else but being in Supergirl's suit saving people. I only took some breaks to eat. Thank Rao it was a weekend and didn't have to head to CatCo. Even though miss Grant would have probably spared me, I don't want to take advantage of her kindness to me and be unprofessional. I have already messed once.

I saved countless people from those terrible robots. Some pedestrians got beaten up by the robots, for the simple reason that they walked out at night. If the innocent people tried to resist, the robots considered them a threat and attempted to kill them. Either Metallo Lena has forgotten to change their orders, or she is trying to apply a curfew. Of course, after destroying many of her robots, I expect her to declare open war with me. Maybe some people will support her since they consider me an anarchist too. Anyway, whatever is the price of my deeds I'm more than willing to pay it. I couldn't let those people's lives being at stake.

Unfortunately, I feel completely drained. I think I'm losing my powers again, so I have to take it easy. Tomorrow, after work, I'll head to the Tower and spend much time under the sun lamps beside Lena's bed. I'll have to tell her the reason for spending myself and thank her for the lights. I don't even know if she can hear me, but I will talk to her anyway. Dr Vandenberg says sometimes it can help to talk to people in a coma and a twenty-five per cent of them can listen or even see the person talking to them, but out of their bodies.

**12/2**

Alex's injury is getting better. Today she went for a walk and didn't hurt at all she said.

**12/5**

Sam and I fought today, and she blurted out that Lena isn't going to wake up and I am stupid for always being so optimistic. I deny to let her words affect me.

**12/7**

Metallo Lena announced me a terrorist today and asked people to watch out for me. So far, so good. No one has protested against me. If she has the impression, this dimension is like the one she ruled; she's a total fool. I have gained most people's trust all these years. If she hadn't activated her stupid robots, people would be already on the streets now protesting.

**12/9**

So weird. It's like she's there and she isn't. I can touch her and I can't at the same time. Her vitals show a healthy person, but she's not healthy at all.

**12/10**

I miss her so much. I miss not being able to see her emerald eyes or wearing her bold lipsticks. I miss the way she let the CEO persona go every time she met me and instead was just Lena. Oh, Rao, I miss everything so fucking much. Please, Lena, come back to me.

**12/11**

I went back to the hospital today to see Alice. Her complexion was paler than before, which troubled me a lot. But when she ran to hug me, all my concerns were gone. She looked overjoyed and happy for watching me again. I asked the nurse her chemotherapy scheduled to be there every time. Her wittiness is something else!

**12/12**

Jame's been using his shield as a mirror to the robot's laser is a brilliant move. He outtakes them immediately. Maybe I should get some shield too for them because they drain me every time. If only Nia were here...

**12/14**

Ruby came in the Tower today to see Lena. The poor girl looked so sad while Sam looked like she didn't care. She and Alex were better than ever, and I thought my sister's talk with Kelly didn't change her emotions towards Sam. I hadn't seen my sister so happy with any of her relationships, even Maggie. Finally, something good happening.

**12/16**

I changed the gardenias on the vase with fresh ones. I can't watch her like this anymore. It has been more than a month, and Olivia says that the more she stays in a coma, the more difficult it is for her to wake up. I will be doomed forever if she doesn't wake up.

**12/17**

"Sam, what was Lena's vault password?" We were sitting on the bench in the backyard, taking fresh air. Sam turned to glance me with an indecipherable look, thinking about her words carefully.

"It won't make you any good acknowledging." She responded, looking away at nowhere precisely.

"And since when do you care about my well being? I thought you hated me."

"Indeed. But watching you suffer doesn't offer me any pleasure."

"Then tell me. I wish to know."

"If you insist. 10102016."

"What's this number?"

"It's a date; 10th of October, 2016."

"What happened back then?"

"You and Lena met." She said, and I froze unable to move or respond. Guilt was the least I felt. I deserve the world's worst. Oh, Rao, how disappointed you must be of petty being of me?

**12/20**

Miss Grant today fired another assistant. She has fired thirteen until now and keeps going.

**12/21**

Everyone pretends they are okay and nothing troubles them. They look like they have forgotten about Lena and moved on. I can't blame them; I just can't do the same. At least not for now. They have started doing Christmas preparations, and Alex wants us today to go and buy trees. One for her apartment, one for mine and one for the Tower. But although I love Christmas period, I'm not in the mood for this. Knowing my sister, she won't take "no" as a response.

**12/22**

We decorated the Tower today. They all look happy, and I try to mingle in, but it's impossible. My mind wanders off all the time on last year's Christmas Eve. We had all gathered in my apartment since it had been a tradition by now. Lena was there, in her expensive formal dress, drinking scotch as always and Nia and Brainy were there too. Rao, how can all of these people just forget? Is it only my mind so sick of Lena's absence? If only I could go back in time...

**12/23**

I don't even have the strength to put down my thoughts on the paper, but I need to give it a try. I went today to the hospital since it was Alice's chemo day before her Christmas vacations. Her dad had told me she wanted to surprise her with a trip to New York. I wanted to wish her and give her a gift I had bought for her. It wasn't anything significant. Just the watch I gave to my friends for calling me when they are in danger. I had this one specifically made suitable for her small wrist. When I entered the oncology department, I headed to the standard room where Alice had her therapy. When I got inside, I was surprised to see no one but the nurse, removing the still full plastic bag with the yellow fluid from the IV hanger. She had gotten used to me by now, and I didn't expect such a frown from her when she turned to look at me.

"Oh, hi, Supergirl." She said weakly almost sounding like a whisper.

"Hey, Nadia! Uh, is Alice here? I thought this was the scheduled time." I said awkwardly.

"Alice isn't going to come." My forehead creased in confusion.

"Oh, okay. Uh, I came to give her Christmas present but since she's not here, could you please give it to her next time she comes?" I extended my arm, holding a little jewellery box with a red bow on it. But the nurse didn't move an inch and instead gazed the floor. Then I realised something was wrong.

"Supergirl, the girl, is...the girl is... dead." I felt knocked sideways like my feet couldn't hold me anymore. The nurse took a step forward, going to comfort me, but using my speed, I vanished in a blink of an eye. I ran as fast as I could. I ran like there was no tomorrow, not knowing where I was going. I stopped when I came across the white landscape around me. And then I let it all go, the pain, the tears, all the emotions I've been repressing all this time. I punched with my fists the ground, causing the ice to crack for many kilometres away, but I didn't care. I fell on my knees crying and sobbing uncontrollably screaming just one word. "Why". Why this angel had to die when she still hasn't lived, I deserved all the suffering of the world, but Alice and Lena didn't.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply and raised my head to the sky, thinking of Alice while saying:

"You have been the sun of my life. My prayers will be the sun that lights your way on the journey home. I will remember you in every dawn and await the night I join you in the sky. Rao's will be done."

I hadn't the slightest intention of returning, to be honest, but Alex contacted me through the comm and asked my help on extinguishing a fire. Then I returned directly to my apartment and never reached anyone until now. Maybe sleep will ease my pain and make me forget.

**12/24**

I spent the entire day, saving people without taking a break. I do everything to avoid my sisters and everyone else. My mood is so awful that I prefer sitting alone in my room than ruining everyone else's too. But now that I'm thinking of it whether I attend the Christma's Eve dinner or stay in my the Tower, they will be concerned about me, and I will keep ruining their happiness. Maybe I should vanish from the Earth. If only I could do that...

Eliza and everyone kept asking what was the matter with me. I had made my best effort to hide my sadness, but my appetite gave me away. It was the first time after landing on Earth that I didn't touch the turkey or eat anything at all. I kept playing with my food the whole night while trying to participate in a few conversations to pretend everything was okay. But Eliza had noticed first, and then everyone kept asking me. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth and talked about Alice, I would end up in tears so instead, I told them I had drained myself from saving people all day and that I was probably getting sick. They instantly advised me to go to the solar lamps in the Tower, which I promptly did. Better spending my night alone with Lena, than a bunch of cheerful people, pretending everything is fine. Yes, I am getting bitter now, but I just can't stand this anymore without getting angry. Holidays are supposed to be celebrated when people are happy. But who is happy? They're just afraid to face their sadness directly. Anyway, who am I to judge about such a thing. I've messed up so badly that I can't even forgive myself.

I lied down on the lamps beside her bed. I turned to look at her. She looked serene, her features softened and her chest moving up and down as she breathed. How could someone be so perfect? Not just her appearance, but her mind too. Especially her mind. Everything about her made it so fucking perfect. Oh Rao, how was I so stupid and blind? I am so madly in love with this woman.

Instinctively I reached for her hand. It was warm but still. I drew circles on the back of her palm, feeling her soft skin under my fingers. It was the first time touching her after almost two months. Rao, I missed her so much...

And then it happened. Out of sudden, her fingers moved and almost tangled with mine. Almost. But it was enough to make my heart beating like crazy, enough to bring me back from the dead. Because that's what I felt all this time. Dead. And now I felt alive. Tears of happiness filled my eyes. I immediately tried to get up, but during my effort, I bumped my head on one of the lamps, which ended up in pieces and as I tried to get on my feet quickly, I lost my balance and crashed on the floor. But without losing time, I got up and ran to reach my phone in my handbag.

I called everyone. First of all, Dr Vandenberg, who unfortunately didn't answer. But then I reached everyone, and in a few minutes, they burst inside with an expectant look. But their face faltered when they saw Lena still lying unconsciously.

"Kara, what happened?" Alex asked, still panting from walking quickly. Her condition didn't allow her to run like the rest. She came after the others, along with Eliza, who claimed she was too old to run like that.

"SHE MOVED!" I screamed, and her face fell immediately. Eliza stroked my hair and moved closer to hug me in a gentle way that I didn't like at all.

"Oh, honey, sometimes persons in a coma can do that, but it's not on purpose. It's just reflexes." She said softly next to my ear, and my fists instantly clenched. I was angry because it wasn't just a reflex. Lena felt my hands on her, and she tried to respond. It wasn't just a reflex no. I denied it, and it wasn't about pessimism and optimism. They weren't there to see it. And what did I expect from those who had already forgotten her?! I shook my head, denying it and everyone had a pitiful look on their faces which aggravated me even more.

"Leave me alone," I said, indicating the door with my index finger. And then I let myself get free from Eliza and walked back to Lena. But knowing they remained there looking at me puzzled only made me furious, so without being able to keep my temper, I screamed: "LEAVE ME ALONE!" And they immediately started leaving one by one, closing the door behind them.

**12/25**

I called Olivia again, and she showed up immediately apologising for not answering yesterday. I told her about Lena's movement, and she said the same with Eliza. It didn't surprise me. A part of me had accepted it, to be honest. But it hurts so fucking much. My hopes were up and then suddenly gone. My life was back on being miserable and painful.

**12/26**

I returned to my apartment finally today, still wearing the same clothes from Christma's Eve. But I couldn't care any less even if flies would fly around my head from the dirt. Thankfully the apartment was tidied, all the plates clean, not an evidence of the gathering up. It surprised me that yesterday no one showed up in the Tower. I don't know whether it was out of fear or respect. I took a long bath and decided to drown my sorrow with that alien's alcohol Alex had bought, Netflix and me.

**12/28**

Today was awful for once again. Almost awful. We were all gathered early in the morning in the Tower, and Dr Vandenberg was there too, doing her routine check-up on Lena when her nose started bleeding, and her heart's monitor beeped frantically. She was getting a heart attack, and we correctly supposed it was Harun-El's complication. Alex passed the extractor quickly to James, which he inserted on her throat. Purple strikes formed as the liquid left her body. Then her heart slowed down and beat naturally again. Olivia watched in awe of the entire process. That woman is entirely out of her waters, and it shows. I can't imagine spending more than ten years of studying the same object only to suddenly everything you knew doesn't apply anymore. Sometimes I can catch her starring at me, and when I turn to look at her, she averts her eyes. The doctor has the hots for Supergirl, while Kara Danvers is invisible to her. Only Lena likes me for just being Kara. And I love her for just being Lena.

Suddenly every screen on the room turned on, and Lena's double's face appeared. We all, including Olivia, approached the screen while J'onn turned on the volume.

"Dear citizens of National City. I happily announce you that from today the robot officers will replace all the human officers. We can all agree that lately, they have proven very inadequate. From today, this is changing. Thank you for your attention and always remember, your protection is my top concern." The screens switched off again. I could sense the upcoming consternation, and so could the others.

"This can't be good," Olivia said, crossing her arms on her chest.

"I can hear from now, the Molotov on the street," J'onn said as he headed to a stool to sit down.

"We need to expose her the soonest possible otherwise a civil war will burst soon," I exclaimed decisively and climbed the stairs to the balcony's door. I leaned on the railings behind me and starred at the colourful stained glass before me. It was mostly yellow-orange and red, looking like the sky's burning colours during the sunset.

"Except if she creates more of them and people are unable to fight back," Sam said, and she was right. If people saw those robots hitting them mercilessly, they would stand back. Even a group of anarchists would fear for their life. Because compared to police officers, these robots were ruthless. Like their creator. Metallo Lena was slowly becoming a monarch on this dimension too.

"Do we have anything important recorded?" I asked.

"No. She seldom talks. And if she does, it will be only to order her new secretary or about business." J'onn answered.

"Damn! We need someone to make her speak." I groaned.

"I don't think Sam wants to face that woman ever again," Alex said, and she was right. I was confident, the next time Metallo eyed Sam, she would kill her instantly. I am still laughing at the memory of Sam sitting on the satan's chair and insulting her shamelessly.

"I can," Olivia said out of sudden, drawing everyone's attention to her. "I was there, the day she burst into the hospital to kill the real miss Luthor. I was her doctor. I am the most suitable person to have this conversation with her."

"And what are you going to say? She will kill you instantly for helping Sam and Kara." James asked.

"Not unless I give her a clue. A fake one of course. I will tell her I know where you keep Lena, and when she gets there, she will fight with Supergirl. Maybe you could expose her somehow then."

"I will be somewhere hidden, taking photos of her while blasting the beam through her chest!" James exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Oh, Rao! You guys are geniuses!" I yelled and ran for a group hug, including Olivia inside, who was looked ready to pass out and I guessed it had to do with me.

**12/29**

As I was flying to CatCo today, I watched the biggest demonstration in National City of all times. Even with Ben Lockwood, there weren't so many people gathered in one place. Entering the office, I saw most desks empty. Miss Grant had sent most of the reporters to record everything since there would be soon an outburst. They were heading to the L-Corp building, and there was no way, not the vicious robots show up to protect Metallo Lena. Alex had named her Metallena, but I didn't like it much. Winn would have thought a much better nickname than this. As soon as miss glanced laid her eyes on me, invited me to her office to assign me an article, but I told her about our plan, and she told me to focus entirely on this. She even said I could win a Pulitzer after this revelation. I wrote down most of the information I had about Metallo Lena, using myself, Olivia and Sam as the main witnesses of the incident in the hospital, avoiding to mention that I participated in the transfer. And of course, I covered their names citing them as anonymous sources. I had to stop writing many times to go and rescue people who fought against the robots. They had spread in the entire city, trying to control people, but it only aggravated them more. I started to fear that it could prevent Metallo Lena from acting according to our plan.

The sun had already set, and the sky was dark when I finished my article and left CatCo. I got on the rooftop to fly up in the sky because the streets were too crowded. And the alleys also. I couldn't find a calm place to take off since everyone was fighting, so I changed to my suit and flew away. Then I landed in the middle of the blocked by people street. They fought with bats and iron bars the robots. The entire city was in flames, and it looked more of a day than night. It smelled burned plastic and garbage since most bins were burning. The robots hit people mercilessly, and even if I couldn't save them all. J'onn and James were on the streets too, trying to do the very best they could. I heard explosions and screams. A woman was trapped under the debris of a blown up shop, and I ran to set her free. Then I picked her up and transferred her to an ambulance I saw parked on the street, avoiding the robots' attack the whole time. I was their primary target since the devil had announced me an anarchist and had programmed them to attack me by the time they saw me immediately. I punched them with all my force, and they crashed in a shop, causing an explosion. The entire city was getting destroyed by those machines, and people blamed Lena for that. I noticed the crowd has almost made it to the L-Corp building, where most of the robots were concentrated, protecting their creator. Reaching for the comm in my ear to enable it, Alex came in the line.

"Alex, will Olivia make it to the L-Corp?"

"Metallena sent a car to pick her up. She must be on her way. Wait I'll check the cameras." We repeated the same plan we did with Sam. This time, Olivia was heading to the satan's office. Olivia had called to made an appointment with the evil woman and was promptly accepted when she mentioned that Lena Luthor was her patient in the hospital. "Yes, she just arrived in a DEO's SUV with agents protecting her. Fucking traitors." Alex groaned. But turning on my left, I saw two of the agents that belonged in Alex's team, fighting against the robots with the DEO's laser guns.

"Alex, not all of them are traitors. I'm watching right now agent Vasquez and agent Hartmann fighting against the evil machines."

"For real?"

"Yes. I think you should talk with them soon. They seem to be on our side."

"Supergirl!" Agent Vasquez exclaimed happily when she saw me. I waved at them and agent Hartmann took a second to nod at me in a greeting way. Last-minute, I avoided the laser, a robot threw towards me, and I threw myself into the fight.

It was past 2 a.m when the streets started emptying. Most people had left the battlefield and returned to her homes. Only a few small groups of people scattered in different routes, still fought the robots, throwing Molotovs at them and other objects. Ambulances' sirens filled the entire city, as they picked up the severely injured people. There was some dead between them too that were transferred to the hospital only for the death diagnosis. The night sky was covered by a heavy coat of smoke, making it look orange, and ash pieces floated in the air. Even after the Daxamites' attack, the damage wasn't so significant.

I stayed for a little longer helping people, that were covered by the debris or were too injured to move, flying them to the nearest hospitals, which were overcrowded. Then I headed to the Tower where I found Alex and Sam, with a first kit aid, treating James' wounds. Thankfully he wasn't heavily injured—only some scratches and bruises. I scanned him with my x-ray vision, and fortunately, he hadn't fractured any of his bones. Then J'onn came inside wearing his suit and threw himself on the brown leather couch, letting his head rest on a pillow.

"Oh, H'ronmeer, I'm too old for that." He sighed and accompanied him, letting myself sink in the green armchair. For some reason, this furniture was my favourite of all.

"Alex," I shouted, and she walked to me from the lab to take a seat on the couch opposite, leaving Sam to tie Jame's wounds with a band-aid. "What happened with Olivia?" I asked and a smile immediately formed on her face, indicating everything was going according to the plan.

"Metallena at first tested her about her intentions, but Olivia managed to handle it and convinced her, she had turned against us. The satan was rather than intrigued when Olivia told her; she knew where the real Lena was hidden."

"Wait, she said "real" in front of her?" J'onn asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I almost got a stroke when it slipped her mouth, but fortunately, the devil didn't seem to notice, because her mind had wandered off. She probably imagined the ways she would end Lena's life once and for all. Olivia wrote down the address we agreed and warned Metallena that our hideout was armed like a fortress. That it was impossible to enter it, but tomorrow we would have to transfer Lena since her condition was getting worse and would be a great chance for her to attack. Then Olivia asked her about the fifth dimension. We have everything recorded!"

"And she believed her?" I asked.

"Yes, I strongly believe so. I mean Olivia managed to pull it through perfectly the whole time. I would be convinced."

"Good, let's hope Metallena will be there tomorrow," J'onn said.

"Where's Olivia now?" I asked again.

"She went straightly to her house as we agreed, in case Metallena put DEO's agents watch her," Alex said, and I nodded without saying anything more. I've got this nasty feeling since then, and I can't brush it off. Maybe I am too tired, and it has clouded my mind. Shit, it's 4 a.m. I must sleep.

**12/30**

I didn't have the slightest motivation to walk out of my bed today. Not just from exhaustion but for everything going on too. The city is falling apart, Lena is still in coma and tonight I'll have to fight that evil woman again, and this time her forces will be probably enhanced with her robots and DEO's agents. I will only have J'onn with me since James will have to take the photos of her kryptonite blast. Alex is still not in the condition fight despite she insists. It's going to be an unequal fight, but I've had more worse in the past. I even fought against the Leviathans. What's worse than them? Thankfully the suit Lena made for me, is almost invincible now. I need to clear her name and banish her evil double out of this dimension once and for all.

And with that thought, I forced myself to get out of the bed and get to CatCo. I spent very little time there as I was too stressed just to sit down and work. Instead, I preferred to fly in the troposphere and save people from all around the Earth. I got a bit confused with the different time zones, so in the end, I preferred to stay in National City to avoid missing the time of our plan.

It was late at night now, and Alex still hadn't contacted me. Five minutes before our scheduled time, I listened to Alex's voice in my ear.

"Kara, there's a problem." I knew it! Since yesterday this horrible feeling wouldn't go and now it was coming true. "Metallena went to pick Olivia at first from her house, and they will head there together. She's keeping her as a hostage." We had agreed to lead them in an old airport to be more comfortable for James to take a decent photo, since the street could be tricky, now with the protest.

"Then we'll try to take her out of here with the first chance." I glanced at J'onn beside me, who nodded decisively. James arrived too in his suit without his helmet, in case he would have to fight with us, but I told him, his highest priority should be to take the photo and deliver it to CatCo, no matter what. I had asked miss Grant that if something happened to me, finish the article and ask the voice record from my sister. Then she wished me good luck and to be careful. Although she wasn't very open with her emotions, I could see the worry in her eyes. But I assured her I would be fine and it was just a precaution. To be honest, I didn't feel I could make it tonight, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't the slightest concerned about it. If it meant to clear Lena's name and die like a hero in the battle, doing my best to fix everything I destroyed, I was okay with it.

We hid inside the old aeroplane storage. The waiting was killing me along with everyone else. Then I heard the sound of SUV engines and wheels screeching from afar. J'onn gave me a long stare and nodded so we took our positions. I pushed my chest's emblem, and the protecting suit surrounded me. An entire army of flying robots accompanied the cars, and I gulped down. The vehicles passed the air lane and stopped a few meters away from us. We hid behind the damaged construction and watched Metallo Lena getting out of the car, having Olivia beside her and a group of agents with her. Two other groups got out of the other SUVs, and all of them surrounded Metallo Lena to protect her. How pathetic it was, those people becoming pawns of influential people's games!

Olivia indicated with her finger the old plane's storage, and Lena sent some agents to check. Before they could approach Jame's location, who was hidden in the shadows, J'onn flew right in front of them and punching his fists on the ground; he created a blast that knocked out the agents. Without hesitating a minute, I attacked the alerted now, robots and punched them. I managed to yank the head out of some of them, and they exploded in the air. But a sudden loud gunshot drew our attention immediately. Metallo Lena was holding her revolver pointed in the sky, and then she moved it to Olivia's head, pulling the cock.

"Surrender yourselves, or I'll end your friend's pathetic life." She threatened, but without stalling a second, my helmet's glass raised and using my heat vision, the gun's metal turned to orange, and she immediately threw it to the ground, cursing in pain and checking her blistering palm. Olivia escaped her arms and started running away when a robot followed her flying.

"J'ONN TAKE OLIVIA OUT OF HERE NOW!" I screamed, drawing his attention immediately from the fight with a robot.

"Kara, I won't leave you here alone!"

"We don't have what we want yet. Leave. NOW!" And he immediately flew to pick Olivia up before the robot reached her. It left following them, and now only five robots, a few agents and Metallo Lena had left. I could take them down I thought, but then she unclasped the buttons of her black coat, and a kryptonite beam blasted from her chest. I hoped James had taken a good photo of it. I avoided the first beam and punched a robot, but then another one hit me hard from behind and then Lena's beam. Even though I was wearing the suit, I still felt the pain of the forceful strikes.

"Kara, James got the photo, he's heading to CatCo. Get the hell out of there." I heard Alex's voice in my ear, but before I could stand up and fly away, agents shot me with kryptonite bullets and some robots managed to trap me and immobilise me, forcing me to fall on my knees. The woman's devilish smile formed on her lips, and she approached me slowly, with a glorious look on her face.

"You're not so super now, are you?" She said with a fake pout and then giggled in malice. I thought this was it. My end had come, and I could die in peace knowing this devil would end back in the hell she came from, but as I was ready to accept my fate, some others had different plans. Sudden a blue energy blast threw the woman many meters away, knocking her off completely. The robots had the same fate, exploding one after one.

"Missed me?" Nia said with a smile, and I almost cried in relief and happiness. After all this time, my mood had lightened. Brainy was fighting the agents, avoiding in mastery their punches, and they ended up knocking out each other.

"OH RAO, GUYS!" I screeched and ran to hug them both tightly.

"Uh, Kara? Too tight, too tight!" Brainy said chocking, and I immediately released them.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Nia chuckled.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

"And let you die so soon? Invalid." Brainy said in his extraordinary way, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Wait where's Metallena?" Nia asked and just on time we heard the wheels of one of the SUVs shriek and getting away. They were about to follow her, but I stopped them.

"Let her go. We have everything we wanted to expose her."

"Yeah, I know that. You won a..."

"Brainy! We're not supposed to talk about the future!" Nia scolded him, and he apologised immediately. Then we headed back to the Tower, and I couldn't stop smiling the entire time. It was like a miracle. Alex and J'onn jumped to their feet by the time they saw Nia and Brainy coming in beside me, and ran to hug them. After catching up, Alex informed me James was still in CatCo waiting for me, but I had to sit a little longer with them before leaving. I was still pinching myself to check whether I was dreaming. I was afraid if I went from there, I would wake up back to the awful reality.

"Wow, this place has gotten amazing," Nia said, eyeing the cosy illuminated space around us.

"Lena renovated before..." Alex said.

"Yeah, we know..." Brainy said in a sad tone and shared a knowing look with Nia. I didn't like the frown on their faces, knowing they came from the future. But I brushed it off and excused myself to head to CatCo. Nothing could ruin my happiness tonight.

James was already waiting for me with Cat. No one was left in the building. As I entered the office, James passed me a champagne glass, and miss Grant stood up.

"To Lena!" He toasted, and we took a sip of the drink.

"Congrats Kara!" Miss Grant exclaimed drinking more of her champagne. I immediately glanced James whose eyes were big wide.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention it. She knows!" I whispered, and he said nothing but sat down on his chair, throwing me a stern look. Of course, he would scold me once we were left alone, since Cat Grant, the owner of a journalism colossal knew my secret. But it wasn't even my fault for knowing and she knew it for years and didn't say anything. She hadn't given me the tiniest reason not to trust her.

We listened to the recorded audio once again, making sure it was correctly edited and publishing only Metallo's admission of the fifth dimension. Then we checked the article for once again and added Jame's photo of the fight. Cat pushed the button to publish it, and I immediately got a feeling of success to overflow me. It was too late for people to read it, but I was sure tomorrow everyone would talk about it.

I was flying back to my home, but last minute I changed my mind and went back to the Tower. The flower shop was closed by now, so I flew to Champ Libre Fleuriste and this time I picked a bouquet of deep red Samurai roses, accompanied with red wildflowers. The assistant almost lost it when she saw me and asked for a photo with me holding the flowers with a French accent which I found hilarious. When I entered the Tower, I felt relieved for seeing no one there. If Sam had seen the flowers, she would have said again: "They won't bring her back". I placed them in the vase, throwing yesterday's gardenias and sat on the edge of her bed, beside her.

"We won today. Every citizen of this city will dispraise your evil double tomorrow. Including those that were harder to believe. People will learn that this thing is not you, my love." I said sweetly taking advantage the fact that she couldn't listen to me speaking like this. I'd be much embarrassed to call her "my love" while being conscious. I couldn't even get her "Darling". I still don't how it slipped so quickly out of her mouth when she addressed me. "It's time the perfect time for you to wake up, Lena. You can wake up tomorrow and get a live speech and condemn that cursed woman forever. And even if she tries to attack you, I'll send her back to hell. I'll keep her as far away as possible from you. I will do anything, Lena." My hands reached for her soft ruffled hair, stroking it tenderly and lovingly while tears filled my eyes. "Please, Lena. My Lena, please. If you can hear me wake up!" My lips trembled, and the hot shedding tears wetted my cheeks. "Lena, wake up! Lena, wake up, please! We made it! Please! I'm begging you!" Without being able to control me anymore, I let my head lean forward, touching her chest and sobbed loudly. My body jerked uncontrollably, and my arms tightened around her dainty figure. My muffled chokes the only sound in the room except for the beep of the monitor. As I calmed down slowly, listening to her steady heartbeat and lullabying me, I dozed off.

**12/31**

The sound of the unlocking door made me open my eyes and jump to my feet immediately. Alex and Sam were chuckling and making out, but when they saw me, they suddenly pulled away from each other.

"Kara?! Did you sleep in here?" Alex asked, shocked, and I wondered why it surprised so much. But then I realised, I was still standing beside Lena's bed, looking like I had just woken up and she understood I had fallen asleep beside Lena. Sam approached me and pulled the curtain to hide Lena's bed from her sight.

"Cheer up, journalist of the year! Today it's New Year's Eve, and also, the entire city is out of the L-Corp building protesting against Metallena. No need to mention CatCo's stocks jumped, from your exclusive." She said, patting my shoulder in a friendly and contained way. I had forgotten entirely about New Year's Eve, and I didn't even care, actually. Without speaking, I walked to the computer and started reading the news, all referring to my revealing article about Lena. Most of the headlines asked where the real Lena Luthor was now. A video of people surrounding the building and robots unable to contain them appeared on the screen. The journalist who transmitted lively in the demonstration said a secret's organisation forces were on they're way to force out the protesters and the camera recorded ex-police officers having heavy weaponry with them. A massacre was about to happen in the city, and I had to stop them. I stood up and walked to the exit when Alex stepped up and blocked my way.

"You're going to eat first!" She said like an order, holding a white paper box with colourful doughnuts that didn't trigger my appetite at all.

"I'm not hungry," I said and tried to walk past her, but she blocked my way again.

"Kara, you don't eat anything lately. You have lost weight! You can't continue draining yourself like that!"

"I said I'm not hungry! Stop playing it, my mother!" I retorted catching her by surprise, which I took advantage of and left. I flew directly to the demonstration. DEO's cars had already pulled up, and the agents were aiming at the civilians and threatened them to go; otherwise, they would shoot. Some armed people, most of them, formerly police officers, were trying to open up a road to pass and stand against the agents with their guns. People had burned the Christmas tree in the square, and they had set everything on fire around the L-Corp building. Not many of her robots were left after we blew up her warehouse. She will have to give up. Floating above them, people turned their attention to me.

"It's Supergirl! Shoot!" A DEO's agent yelled.

"You dare to shoot her, and we shoot at you!" The armed group of people said back. I was utterly moved with their support, but this had to stop. I landed between them and started speaking up.

"What happened to you agents? You entered this organisation to protect people, and now you are aiming with your weapons at them! At the civilians! Can't you see what have you become of?"

"Stay out of this Supergirl!" One of the men said, but of course, it didn't discourage me at all.

"No, I can't let you open fire to innocent people! To civilians! In opposite to you, I remember clearly my goal. To protect these people from possible threats. You have become pawns of a tyrant. Why are you taking orders from that woman? Don't you see the damage she caused to this city? Look around you! It's one of the happiest days of the year, and instead of seeing Christmas decoration and families walking on the street, I watch armed people, buildings on fire, smokes everywhere and you are trying to protect the person who is to blame for it." All of the agents had lowered their weapons except one on the front. I didn't know his name, but I remembered him shooting at me two months ago. But thinking what I had just said, he looked around him and lowered his gun slowly. His next act took me aback and most of his colleagues and people that watched the incident. Raising his fist in the air, he yelled:

"Bring the tyrant down!" Which was the chant of the protestors. The other agents accompanied him, along with the rest of the people around him. Some robots tried to stop them from entering the L-Corp building, but the agents destroyed them quickly without my help. They reached Lena's office, smashing everything in their way. I was fast to act, and enabled the emergency mechanism in her lab, where the iron doors sealed, protecting it from getting destroyed. I knew if Lena waked up, the destruction of her lab would devastate her. The crowd marched in the office, but they found no one inside. I accompanied them to the roof, where we saw Metallo Lena in a helicopter that had already taken off. People threw every object they could at the chopper in an attempt to bring it down. I could have done that quickly. But it wasn't worthy. That woman lived in misery, and there wasn't a greater punishment than that.

I stayed a bit more on the ground, with the celebrating people, taking pictures and signing many autographs. Their celebration had turned to a roof party despite the cold. Even I could feel it very, very slightly. After a while, I returned to the Tower to meet Brainy for the task I had asked him to do. We were just the two of us now. Alex had left the box of doughnuts on the coffee table in case I would change my mind and eat. But my stomach was a knot. Brainiac entered Lena's mind as he had done with me, and I sat on a chair beside them, on a knife-edge.

"I'm sorry Kara, but Lena isn't trapped like you were. Lena is with her mother. The happiness and peacefulness she feels there, probably keep her in a coma. Her body is fully healed."

"Her mother? You mean like Lillian?"

"No, her biological mother."

"So you're saying she doesn't want to wake up?"

"In some way, yes. Remember when you were trapped in your apartment? Well, Lena isn't trapped anywhere. She's in a bright white place with her mother, and she's in peace. I think it's because she has suffered in her entire life, that she finds it hard to wake up from there."

"No..." My eyes were glossy again. Rao, I hate this so much! I've cried the last months more than I've cried during my entire life!

"I'm sorry, Kara." He said, touching my shoulder in a comforting way.

"Can you please deliver a message?" He nodded, and I continued: "Please, tell her that I love her, with all my heart, that I was a fool for acting like that and that I miss her so much."

"It's done." He said, and tears slipped down again. He squeezed my arm and gave me some privacy to mourn appropriately, exiting the building.

Alex tried to convince me to return to my apartment for the New Year's celebration, but I denied with all my heart. Celebrating right now was the least I wanted to do. I preferred staying here, with her, drowning in my sorrow. It must have been the first time since I landed on this Earth that I haven't eaten a thing the entire day. But I don't even feel hungry. All I feel is a lump on my throat and my stomach heavy. So heavy that, I think I will throw up from time to time. I am sitting on a chair right now, writing this stupid diary and I don't even know why I do that. It is pointless. Everything is pointless.

Why do I keep waiting for Lena to wake up? Everyone has given up, and I haven't. Even Lena doesn't want to wake up. She has found peace finally in her mind. Why can't I just move on? Why can't I accept that she's better like that and move on? I'm so selfish! I want Lena back not just because I love her but because I know my life will be miserable without her. Because I can't live in a world, she doesn't exist. And the worst is that she half exist. Her body is here, but her mind is somewhere else. Love makes us so selfish. I've imagined the day she wakes up and tells her about my feelings since Olivia said she has fallen into a coma. I'm so selfish and self-absorbed...

I can hear the fireworks now; probably the year has changed. Happy new year, Lena. Happy new year, my love. May this year I am less selfish and shall let you be in your own world, finally delighted and peaceful. I've been blaming the others all this time for abandoning you, but maybe they're wiser than me and less egoistic. I should follow their example. I should move on now. The year changed, so must I.

"I need you to let you go." I just whispered and huffed. Like you can hear me.

**1/1**

It's almost dawn now. I just returned to my apartment. I don't know how to describe my emotions, so instead, I will write the facts. "I need to let you go," I said hours ago and stood up, getting closer to Lena's bed. I leaned forward, stroking with my fingers, her rosy cheeks in the most sensitive way. And as I felt her steady breath on my face, our lips touched. And closing my eyes, I recalled everything of that very night. Every emotion of that kiss. Her touch, her soft hair between my fingers. And I thought with this memory I should goodbye her, hoping I made her recall that too in that paradise, her incredible mind was in. Slowly I detached my lips from her and giving her a last stroke in her hair; I walked to the door. But then a miracle happened, and I stopped not dead in my tracks but alive! Utterly alive! Rao heard my prayers and felt merciful of the petty being of me. A weary voice from behind me sounded like music to my ears and said:

"Kara."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does any of you have a similar experience with a friend? Like being more than friends but less than lovers and she denying her attraction towards women claiming she’s straight? I’m really curious if this is just a stereotype or it actually happens a lot.


End file.
